88
-
68
The Board has really only advisary powers-the Chairman is a Civil Servant.
The Sanitary Board Enactment is a very complete one and deals with practical- ly all the subjects dealt with by a Muncipality in England except the prevention and control of diseases which come under the Medical Department direct.
The Quarantine and Prevention of Diseases Enactment which deals with all infectious disease is administered by the Health Branch of the Medical Department. It deals with measure at ports, in towns, and in rural districts.
Sanitation on Estates and Mines comes under the Labour Code. The Health Branch co-operate with the Labour Department in carrying out the law, but the for- mer is in no way under the latter.
ADVISARY Boards.
In order to estimulate the willing co-operation of all concerned in the eclaire- issment of various important public health problems awaiting solution and to ensure that the best possible advice should be obtained and the best possible methods used, Government established special advisary boards consisting of Officials and unofficials, professional men, business men, and others whose duty it was to examine and weigh to the action up to factors connected with the various questions and to advise as which should be taken in each case.
The first assembly of this nature was the Malaria Advisary Board which came into being in 1912. This was such a success, that the others were established to deal with Maternity and Child Welfare, with Venereal Disease, and Public Health Educa- tion.
The Chairman of each Board was the Chief Secretary to Government and the Vice Chairman the Principal Medical Officer. The members varied according to the subject, but care was taken to level up Officials with Unofficials and to ensure the representation of all important races.
The Chief Health Officer as head of the Health Branch was a member of all boards and committees.
There was little formality at the meetings and free discussion and debate were encouraged. Full minutes published early kept the public fully informed of what was going on, roused the attention of al classes and stimulated interest.
The Chief Secretary being President gave to the Board a cachet and an im- portance it would not have had had the Chairman been a head of department. To be on the Board was considered an honour and an invitation to serve was seldom refused.
The Advisary Boards played a very important part in initating and develop- ing interest in movements connected with the control of malaria, the lowering of infantile mortality, the prevention of venerea! disease and the promotion of public health in general. In the establishment of friendly co-operation between Govern- ment departments and between these departments and the public they were of parti- cular value.
It is no exaggeration to say that without the assistance of the Advisary Boards Malaya would not have advanced so far as she did in the matter of measures for the prevention of disease.
69
FEDERATED MALAY STATES GOVERNMENT MEDICAL
SERVICE.
Designation,
No. of Europeans.
No. of Asiaties.
Total.
Principal Medical Officer Personal Assistant Senior Medical Officers Chief Surgeons
1
1
!
4
3
4 3
1
2
43
Deputy Med. Officers
13
9
Assist. Med. Officers
Assist. Surgeons
***
15
36
64
116
64
128
Ophthalmologist Surgeon Dental Surgeons Medical Officers Lady Medical Officers
Chief Health Officer Senior Health Officers Health Officers School Medical Officers Infant Welfare L.M.O Venereal Diseases Specialist
64
1
3
3
28
Assistant Health Off,
8
36
4
4
3
1
Assistant Surgeons
7
8
40
15
Director Institute Medical Re-
1
1
1
Assistant Surgeons
1
1
3
search Bacteriologist
Asst. Bacteriologist Pathologist
Pathologist II
Malaria Research Officers
Research Students
Entomologist
Chemists
Radiologist Radiologist II
Medical Supt. Mental Hosp. Assitant Medical Supt.
Veterinary Surgeons
3
3
13
15
1
Assistant Surgeon
1
2
3
1
Assistant Physicians
2
E3T
5
2
3
7
126
Grand Total
212
Total Europeans in Health Branch to Population=40 to 1,500,000 or a propor- tion of 1 to 27,500.
Total Health Branch to Population=55 to 1,500,000 or a population propor- tion of 1 to 27,272.
89
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