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HEALTH
talks, film shows and individual advice to mothers. Prophylactic immunization against smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus and poliomyelitis is offered at all centres. BCG is given to infants under six weeks of age and children with negative tuberculin reactions while prophylactic INAH is offered to children with positive tuberculin reactions not due to BCG. Demonstrations of the techniques of handling and giving BCG are given to midwives in private practice.
School Health Service. The existing school health service is 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 concerned with the sanitary condition of school premises, the con- trol of communicable disease, and the health education of children, teachers and parents. All building plans are scrutinized before the registration of a school is recommended and there is regular inspec- tion of the sanitary condition of school premises. Free prophylactic immunization against diphtheria, typhoid, cholera and smallpox is offered to all school children and inoculating teams regularly visit all registered schools. Tuberculin testing is also carried out, nega- tive reactors being vaccinated with BCG.
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Children participating in the medical treatment scheme undergo periodic inspection in addition to treatment that may be given for any intercurrent disease. Defects are either treated in school clinics or referred to eye, ear, nose and throat, dental or other specialist clinics. Cases referred for hospital treatment are charged main- tenance fees only, while appliances such as spectacles are provided at cost, at a reduced charge or free, depending on an almoner's recommendation. The school dental service undertakes routine dental examination and limited conservative treatment of those school children who participate in the scheme.
Plans for a completely new school medical service were the subject of a working party whose report was accepted in principle by Government during the year, subject to final review of financial and other details, which are being considered by a provisional advisory board under the chairmanship of Dr the Honourable A. M. Rodrigues, OBE, ED, LLD, JP, who was also the chairman of the working party. In brief, it is intended that there will be a school medical service separate from the school health service,