View report page

10
This important branch of Public Health Work is continually
increasing, and the results already achieved are most
gratifying, not only in this District only, but over the whole
country.
The steady fall in the Infant Mortality Rate is a most
satisfactory feature, and almost entirely due to the interest and
care that have of late years been focussed on the saving of
Infant life. This work, which belongs largely to the realm of
preventive medicine is the more valuable in that it tends to
enable the infant to develop into a healthy child, and to
avoid the appearance of the hopeless cripple and the type
of child that is too often a charge to the community for the
rest of his or her life.
A certain number of expectant mothers have attended at
the Centres, and in order to meet their requirements in future
plans aie being made to open an Ante-Natal Centre, which will
be conducted by the Medical Officer of Health, assisted by
the Health Visitor, and one or more other nurses as required.
I should like to place on record my high appreciation
of the very valuable services of the Voluntary Workers
who have helped so loyally and skilfully at the Child
Welfare Centres. It is entirely owing to their co-operation and
enthusiasm that it has been found possible to get through the
amount of work that has been done.
Towards the end of the year arrangements have been made
to supply those attending the Centres with preparations such as
Codliver oil and malt and a few simple medicines at cost price,
reduced price, or free, according to the circumstances. This
appears to have met a long-felt want.