Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation.

  • Durban (South Africa). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1962]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical Officer's annual report [to] Durban Corporation. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    42/110 (page 34)
    At some centres daily clinics are conducted whilst weekly sessions suffice in others. The attendances at all clinics have increased phenomenally during the year. The total attendances being 197,799 higher than in 1961. The increase is probably due to four factors - (i) The establishment of clinics in the newly devel oped housing schemes; (ii) The introduction of the State subsidized dried skimmed milk scheme; (iii) Increased home visiting; (iv) A greatly increased clinic consciousness amongst the Asiatic community. Set out below are details showing the increased attendances of nursing mothers, infants and toddlers at clinics during the past five years. Race 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 European 48,525 53,758 56,376 48,344 56,946 Coloured 11,195 14,252 15,608 17,288 34,776 Bantu 89,037 121,475 141,298 146,498 227,106 Asiatic 48,267 63,653 63,951 83,769 174,826 Total 197,024 253,138 283,233 295,855 493,654 Cl are Estate Clinic At the request of the mothers in the Clare Estate district for a child health clinic, the Committee of the Divine Life Society made representation to this Department offering suitable premises in the area free of charge. The clinic was commenced on Wednesday, 4th April 1962, on a weekly basis. The mothers appreciated the establishment of this clinic, as it saved them the long trip to the clinic in the City. Bacus Road Clinic Attendances at this clinic rose sharply during the early part of 1962 and it became im¬ possible with the staff and facilities to cope adequately with such large numbers and so the services were expanded by holding the clinic on an additional day weekly. Merebank Clinic The new clinic at the Indian Housing Scheme was completed in November. Great interest was taken by all, as it is the first purpose-designed child health clinic in the City. The clinic has been popular, and an average of 417 nursing mothers and babies attend per session. Two other new clinics were opened during the year; one for European mothers living in the Virginia area, who found the distance to the Durban North clinic too great for reasonable con¬ venience. This clinic is held on Tuesday mornings and is well attended; the other clinic is for the Coloured families in the newly developed Wentworth Government Village area. Home Visiting It was possible to give more attention to this most important facet of child health work throughout the year, since work was not interrupted by massive poliomyelitis immunisation campaigns as was the case in the previous year. The following reflects some of the work done in the course of the year :-