PUBLIC HEALTH
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increase. Attendances at child health clinics increased by over 30% during the year.
Home visits by health visitors are an important aspect of the work and are an effective means of general health education; 37,846 of these visits were made during 1958.
Prophylactic immunizations, particularly against tuberculosis, smallpox and diphtheria, are available throughout the year in all the full-time centres.
Government midwifery services include facilities for domiciliary and maternity home deliveries, both free of charge. Clinics with maternity beds operate mainly in the rural areas, while the domiciliary service is used when possible in the urban areas; however, in the latter districts, the majority of deliveries are undertaken in the maternity wards of hospitals owing to the very crowded housing conditions. In 1958, 49 midwives attached to 22 centres delivered 13,740 cases.
There are also 204 midwives practising privately in the Colony; they delivered 38,498 babies in the year. These midwives and the premises in which they work are required to be registered with the Director of Medical and Health Services who appoints a Supervisor of Midwives to be responsible for their supervision. There are 129 maternity homes at present registered.
During the year 49,865 new born infants were vaccinated against tuberculosis, using B.C.G. vaccine, in the first few days of their life.
School Health Services. These services are organized in two sections: a general health service for all schools and a medical and dental treatment service for pupils and teachers participating in a fee-paying scheme.
The general health service is responsible for inspection of the sanitary conditions of school premises, of which 1,569 were in- spected during 1958, for prophylactic immunization programmes for school children, for the control of infectious disease and for health education.
Tuberculin testing and vaccination of negative reactors with B.C.G. vaccine is undertaken on a large scale; 18,500 children were tested in the year and of 1,944 negative reactors only 11 were