Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1929]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/88
    Report on the Public Health for the Year 1929. presented to the ^legislative 36£cnibl\>, 1930. PART L CHAPTER I.—ADMINISTRATION. With the exception of an epidemic of smallpox towards the end of the year, affecting1 certain of the native districts in the north of the Colony, no other event occurred during' the year under review which adversely affected the health of any section of the people; the mortality and sickness rates from the more common causes of sickness and invalidism having1 remained more or less constant. The extension of medical facilities to natives remote from doctors and hospitals has continued to receive the attention of the Government, and here considerable progress has been made, more especially in the organised search lor and treatment of venereal diseases and yaws; helminthiasis amongst indigenous and alien natives in employment being also the subject of special investigations. Missionary societies took increased advantage of the grants-in-aid offered by the Government for medical mission work amongst the indigenous natives, and at missionary conferences this subject aroused keener interest and more discussion than has been given to it formerly, the general opinion, as expressed by the resolutions, being that the assistance accorded by the Government for this side of mission work was much appreciated. There has been a much-needed increase in the number of maternity beds set aside in one or two centres, and there is now adequate provision for this in rural and urban areas, so far as it applies to Europeans. Maternity and Child Welfare Associations are steadily extending their scope of operations with increased results, though there is still much spade work to be done, especially amongst the coloured races and indigenous natives living in and around the towns, villages and mining camps. The health of the school child calls for and has received increased attention, this Colony being well in the front rank in the provision it. makes for the inspection and treatment of school children of European parentage, and it will not be long before machinery will be available for an extension of similar facilities to the coloured and Asiatic schools. Considerable changes have been effected in the personnel of the School Inspector’s staff, there being now two Medical Inspectors of Schools instead of one as formerly, the second being a lady doctor, whose duties lie chiefly with the schpol girls and infant schools, but who is also employed in