View report page

107
single women. Of the total, some 111 or almost 20% were under
20 years of age of whom 12 were actually under 16.
The calculated abortion rate for Greenwich of 12.8 per 1,000
women between the ages of 15 and 44 is an increase of 3.1 over
that for 1969. Of the Borough's total of 583 abortions, 493 were
carried out at N.H.S. hospitals, 486 actually taking place within
the S.E. Metropolitan Regional Hospital area.
Congenital Malformations
Congenital malformations can cause a considerable burden to
individual families and to health, social and educational services.
It follows that the earlier conditions can be diagnosed the sooner
can all available supportive services be provided and parents
offered advice and encouragement on the care of their child.
By early notification the aetiologies of these abnormalities are
most likely to be discovered and perhaps, in due course, prevented.
Again there was a decrease in notified congenital malformations
among babies born in Greenwich amounting to 19.2%, the actual
incidence rate falling from 23.49 to 19.67, the figure for the current
year. The change was due mainly to a reduction in the number
of children with defects of the central nervous system and anomalies
of the alimentary tract.
The following tables give information regarding malformations
notified to the department during 1970 compared with those for
the previous year and for England and Wales for 1969.

NOTE:—This table indicates the number of malformations NOT the
number of children.