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

  • Durban (South Africa). Public Health Department.
Date:
[1933]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

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

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    Venereal Cases discovered by Medical Officers. Native Administration Department. Syphilis—Primary 139 Secondary 151 Gonorrhoea—Acute . 45 Chronic 33 Mixed ...... 58 - 426 ANTI-PLAGUE SANITATION. During- the year attention was called to a matter of importance which emerged in connection with the Department’s policy in re Anti-Plague Sanitation. The Department has for years followed a policy based on the Public Health Bye-Laws of the Borough and which in August 1930' received Statutory recognition in the promulgation of special regula¬ tions under the Public Health Act. Certain structural requirements are demanded by the Regu¬ lations before any plans can be passed for the new erection of or alterations to any premises intended to be used as shops, stores or other buildings containing or storing any rat-attractive material. It was contended by this Department that the requirement of soldi rat-proof floor con¬ struction applied throughout the floor area of the premises and should not be restricted to the floor space of kitchen and pantry in which view it has been supported by the Union Health author ities. MATERNITY & CHILD WELFARE DEPARTMENT. The European infantile mortality for the “old borough was 41.9 per thousand births as compared with 48.91 last year. The figure for the enlarged Borough was 39.96. The European maternal mortality was 3.16 as compared with the ‘old’ Borough figure 3.28 last year. The Medical Officer-in-Charge, Maternity and Child Welfare Department makes the follow¬ ing observations regarding the work of her Department :— “During the year Clinics have been held at the Old Court House Centre for Europeans and Coloureds, and at the Brook Street premises for Indians. The attendances at each centre showed an increase of 1,211 and 6,118 respectively, over those of the previous year—indicating the con¬ tinued popularity of the work. Supervision of the work of midwives has been carried out as far as the rest of the work in the Department permitted. The names of nine qualified persons were added to the list of midwives practising in the Borough. No unqualified people entering the Borough from other centres were allowed to register. Seven unqualified and unregistered women were found carrying out maternity practice in Durban and were warned not to continue. With the sanction of the Minister of Public Health, the names of two unqualified midwives were removed from the Register during the year, on account of not complying with the Regulations. A third was warned and applied for the removal of her name from the Register. A scheme for the re-organization and extension of the Maternity and Child Welfare services by the establishment of subsidiary clinics in the added areas was proposed during the year and was not agreed to. Later a modified scheme was drawn up so as to make these services available to all races in all parts of the Greater Borough at a cost not exceeding the expenditure voted during the current finncial year except for an amount of i'400 voted from the Native Revenue account. This scheme, which aims at the establishment of two centres only—one at the Old Court House for Europeans and the other at Brook Street for Non-Europeans together with the appoin- ment of a full-time Assistant Medical Officer—is at the present time under consideration by the Council.” MATERNITY & CHILD WELFARE DEPARTMENT. (Brook Street & Old Court House Centre). 1932—1933. Eur. & Col. Natives Asiatics Total Medical Sessions . 354 12 101 / Total Ante-natal Sessions 146 8 97 Total attendances at Clinic 25,388 248 12,484 > New cases out of above number . 2,205 95 2,551 No. of infants under 1 year attending clinic 1,033 36 398 Total attendances of infants under 1 year ... 8,215 99 1,833 No. of expectant mothers attending clinic 700 12 154 Total attendance of expectant mothers 2,095 17 317 No. of cases receiving dry food at reduced or cost price Child Wei. Sty. 2 24 No. of cases receiving dry, food free 124 1 35 Amount of dry food sold . 60 lbs. 5 lbs. 194 lbs. Amount of dry food given free 2,638 lbs. 7 lbs. 286 lbs.