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49
Centre. Stalls are provided for the sale of foods, and for the supply
of clothing and materials. Provision is made for the mothers to
utilise the Centre as a penny bank. Addresses on subjects bearing
on the health of mother and child have been given from time to
time.
(d) Sick Nursery.
One floor of the clinic premises at 228, London Road is used
as a sick nursery. Four beds are provided for children suffering
from nutritional disorder. Children are admitted from the various
Infant Welfare Centres on the recommendation of the medical
oflicer concerned.
The premises are not suited to the purpose, and the cost of
maintenance of so small a number of beds is of necessity proportionately
large. The question of providing other accommodation
for a sick nursery on a somewhat more extended scale is under consideration
at the time of preparation of this report.
56 children were admitted to the sick nursery during the year;
51 were discharged; 2 died; 3 were remaining in the nursery at the
end of the year. The duration of stay varied from 2 weeks to 3
months; the average stay was 3 weeks.
(e) Foster Children.
Numbers of foster children are brought to the ordinary
sessions of the various Infant Welfare Centres. In addition, two
special clinics for foster children are held once a quarter; during
the year there were 17 attendances by foster children under 1 and
197 by those between 1 and 5 years of age, at the special clinics.
(f) Massage Clinic.
The massage clinic for children under the age of 5 years was
continued at the clinic premises at 228, London Road for three
afternoon sessions each week. Much useful work is done in improving
the condition of children suffering from infantile paralysis,
various types of muscular atrophy, and debility after rickets or after
one or other of the acute illnesses to which young children are
exposed.
1,047 attendances were made at the massage clinic by 164
patients during the year.
A small charge is made for treatment in the majority of the
cases.