XN000022-1990-05-08 — Page 6

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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 1990

"I AM PLEASED TO NOTE THAT THE SURVEY CLEARLY POINTS TO

MANY WAYS IN WELDC'TE THE EXISTING WORKLOADS CAN BE RE-EXAMINED AND ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TAKEN TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF ATTENDANCES AT THESE CLINICS WITHOUT IMPAIRING MEDICAL CARE FOR INDIVIDUAL PATIENTS, PROFESSOR YOUNG SAID.

BOTH THE GOPD SURVEY AND THE GENERAL POPULATION HEALTH ENQUIRY HIGHLIGHTED THE NEED FOR BETTER HEALTH EDUCATION AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION TO HELP CHANGE THE WAY IN WHICH THE PUBLIC USED MEDICAL FACILITIES.

FOR EXAMPLE, MANY PATIENTS ATTENDING GOPD FREQUENTLY CHANGED THEIR DOCTORS, MAINLY BECAUSE OF PERSISTENCE OF SYMPTOMS. THIS PATTERN OF USE OF SERVICES IS LIKELY ΤΟ BE DETRIMENTAL ΤΟ PATIENT CARE.

THERE SHOULD ALSO BE IMPROVEMENTS IN COMMUNICATION BETWEEN DOCTORS AND PATIENTS. AT PRESENT, A GOPD CONSULTATION WAS CHARACTERISED BY A HIGH LEVEL OF MEDICATION (THE MAJORITY OF PATIENTS WERE COMMONLY GIVEN THREE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDICINE) BUT A LOW LEVEL OF MEDICAL INFORMATION (70 PER CENT OF THE PATIENTS HAD NO IDEA ABOUT THE DIAGNOSIS), SHE SAID.

BE

"ON THE OTHER HAND, THE USE OF SELF-MEDICATION WAS FOUND TO POPULAR. THIS SUGGESTS THAT THERE SHOULD BE GREATER AVAILABILITY

OF INFORMATION ON THE SELF-CARE OF MINOR ILLNESS THROUGH THE USE OF SIMPLE REMEDIES, PROFESSOR YOUNG SAID.

π

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AVOIDED, SUCH

HOWEVER, SOME FORM OF SELF-MEDICATION SHOULD BE AS THE USE OF LEFT-OVER-DRUGS" PRESCRIBED FOR A PREVIOUS EPISODE OF ILLNESS. THIS FORM OF CARE WAS SAID TO BE USED BY SOME 10 PER CENT OF THE RESPONDENTS IN THE GENERAL POPULATION SURVEY WHO HAD HAD A HEALTH PROBLEM IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS.

THE SURVEY OF MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CARE WHICH INTERVIEWED A RANDOM SAMPLE OF 300 MOTHERS WITH YOUNG INFANTS BORN IN 1987-89 DEMONSTRATED THAT THE GOVERNMENT MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CLINICS ARE THE MOST POPULAR SOURCE OF. PREVENTIVE HEALTH CARE FOR MOTHERS AND INFANTS.

THOSE INTERVIEWED EXPRESSED A HIGH DEGREE OF SATISFACTION THE SERVICES PROVIDED.

"MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH IS CONSIDERED A BASIC AND COMPONENT IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE. IN THIS AREA, THE SERVICE BY GOVERNMENT IS OF VERY HIGH STANDARDS AS INDICATED IMPRESSIVELY LOW INFANT AND MATERNAL MORTALITY RATES, YOUND SAID.

WITH

IMPORTANT PROVIDED

BY OUR PROFESSOR

"IT IS CLEAR FROM THE SURVEY RESULTS THAT THE EXISTING ORGANISATION AND DELIVERY OF THE SERVICE IS MEETING ALTHOUGH THERE IS ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT, SHE SAID.

*

OUR

NEEDS

/TURNING TO