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3. Arranged for the Consulting Obstetrician at St. Andrew's Hospital
to hold a weekly ante-natal consultation clinic for the examination
of patients referred to him by general practitioners practising
in the Borough or by clinic Medical Officers on account of some
abnormality of pregnancy in the treatment of which the
practitioner or clinic Medical Officer is of opinion that the
opinion of a consultant is desirable. A brief report upon each
case is sent to the medical practitioner by the consultant
immediately after the examination of the patient.
4. Arrangements were made with four Consulting Obstetricians for
their services to be available at the request of a general
practitioner attending any midwifery case which presented
special difficulty or abnormality at or after the confinement.
The attention of all doctors and midwives was specially drawn to the
services provided by the Borough Council.
Since the scheme came into operation on 7th July, 1931, the number
of patients seen at St. Andrew's Hospital (as mentioned in paragraph 3)
was as follows:—
(a) Referred by private practitioners 3
(b) Referred by clinic medical officers 10
13
In addition to the above, earlier in the year the Council decided to
supply sterile maternity outfits at cost price or at half-price, according
to family incomes.
Infantile Mortality.—The infantile mortality rate (77) is considerably
higher than the figure for the previous year. Whilst the total number of
births has decreased, there was an increase of 44 in the number of infantile
deaths as compared with last year.
The chief cause of the increase was deaths due to Bronchitis and
Pneumonia. The majority of these occurred in the early part of the
first quarter of the year and the latter part of the last quarter, when
there were considerable spells of cold weather accompanied by fogs.