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25
FAMILY PLANNING
Family planning services are provided both directly and on an agency basis
through the Family Planning Association. The Council's own clinics can only,
by Statute, take women whose health it is considered would be adversely affected
by pregnancy; there are two such weekly clinics held in the Borough: other
cases are referred to the Family Planning Association clinics. The Family
Planning Association run two clinics where they see women referred by the Council
and women referred directly by general medical practitioners, hospitals etc.
The figures relating to Council clinics are as follows:-
No. of persons who attended in 1965 753
Total attendances 1,653
No. of sessions 101
The requirement that local authority clinics should only deal with women
where there is a medical reason against pregnancy gives rise to much difficulty.
Much must be left to the conscience of the individual doctor. I believe that
the narrow view that medical reasons must only include some definite physical
reason is now out-dated. A combination of social circumstances, family circumstances,
and possibly some minor ailment might constitute a perfectly valid
reason for a woman to space her family by modern birth control methods. It is
my own feeling that sooner or later local authority clinics should be given
authority to give family planning advice to all married women who require it.
As far as unmarried women are concerned, advice may not be given at local authority
clinics, and at the date of this report, not at the accepted family planning
clinics. It is my own personal view that this leaves one of the biggest problems
of family planning unanswered. However unwelcome a pregnancy might be in
marriage, we still live in a society in which the birth of an illegitimate child
is often a tragedy. At the same time, we must accept the fact, whether we like
it or not. that patterns of social behaviour are changing. If an unmarried
woman is going to indulge in sexual intercourse, then obviously she must run the
risk of pregnancy and not to offer to these women advice on pregnancy seems to
me completely illogical. Apart from anything else it places a premium on dishonesty.
Sooner or later I think we will have to deal with this problem which
grows bigger every year, rather than sanctimoniously try to pretend it is not
there.
DENTAL SERVICE - MATERNAL AND CHILD WELFARE
The Local Authority is under a duty to provide dental services for expectant
and nursing mothers and to young children.
The number of sessions devoted to this service was 557 - the equivalent of
the practice of one whole-time dental officer, which is approximately l/10th of
total treatment sessions given to school health and maternal and child welfare
services combined. This ratio complies with the Ministry of HealthS recommendation.
The number of expectant and nursing mothers that receive treatment relative
to the number of live births indicates that about 10% make use of this service.
This appears to follow the national pattern as reference is made to this situation
in the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health for
1963. The only good aspect of this is possibly that more attention can be
devoted to pre-school children, for it is here among this group that the ravages
of dental decay begins, and it is through early loss of deciduous teeth that
much dental disease is created in permanent dentition.
Our aim is to encourage regular inspections and early treatment thus
eliminating the fear created by first contact with dentistry being made when
emergency anaesthetic and multiple extractions become necessary as a result of
neglect. Dental education is best achieved by working in conjunction with other
M. & C.W. services and where possible in the same clinics.