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74
To the Chairman and Members of the
Maternity and Child Welfare Committee.
9th May, 1928.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As requested by the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee, I have
prepared the following statement with reference to the letter of the 30th March
from the Ministry of Health on the question of the provision of milk under the
Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme.
The Ministry state that milk should be supplied at less than cost price solely
on " medical grounds." It is important that the views of the Ministry as to what
constitutes " medical grounds " should be definitely stated. The Ministry have
taken action in the past as regards nursing assistance, which evidently is intended
to cut down the service to the fullest possible extent whether there are medical
grounds for granting this assistance or otherwise. In my Annual Reports for
1924 and 1925 you will find reference to this fact. For instance, at the time
that the Auditor went through the nursing accounts I was informed that the
Ministry of Health wished to strike out from the grant nursing assistance to
mothers suffering from breast abscess. As the Committee are aware, we encourage
breast feeding by every means in our power; doctors at the Centres advise
on it, the Ministry issue circulars on the point, yet when the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee, through their officers, arrange for the treatment of breast
abscess by the only useful methods, the Ministry state that this action does not
come within the approved scheme and, of course, it is obvious that neglect of
breast abscess may render it impossible for breast feeding to be carried out by
any young mother in any future pregnancy. In the same way, although assistance
can be given to Measles, I was informed that where assistance was given
to Measles and Bronchitis, so far as the Bronchitis side of the condition was
concerned, the nursing assistance should not be granted. The absurdity of this
attitude is shown by the fact that the sole reason for granting nursing assistance
to Measles is that complications such as Bronchitis should receive attention.
Although nursing assistance can be given
To It Cannot be Given to
Measles German Measles and Chickenpox.
Whooping Cough Acute Bronchitis.
Epidemic Diarrhoea Acute Gastritis.
Poliomyelitis Any other Paralytic conditions.
Ophthalmia Neonatorum Diseases of Ear or Throat.
(Disease of the Eye)
Even "medical grounds " alone, therefore, is insufficient reason for granting
nursing assistance in the opinion of the Ministry of Health.
In my opinion it should be quite sufficient grounds for granting this assistance
that the lack of it will injure a child's health or that it is necessary for the
nutrition of the child that this extra assistance should be granted. There is no
doubt in my mind that the assistance that has been given in this way has
prevented a large amount of illness which would otherwise have proved extremely
expensive to the ratepayers in various forms of medical attention.
It cannot be stated that the scheme has not been economical in Hackney;
milk is supplied by milk vendors at Id. per quart under current retail prices,
the earnings of each person assisted under the scheme is obtained from the
employers, and where the family is being assisted from charitable sources the
amount of that assistance is ascertained and taken into account when calculating
the total income of the family. The Scheme which was adopted by the Counci
and approved by the Ministry is as follows:—