XN000022-1992-11-22 — Page 6

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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1992

DR LEE POINTED OUT THAT THE PREDOMINANT PUBLIC HEALTH PROBLEMS BEFORE AND AFTER THE SECOND WORLD WAR WERE POOR SANITATION, OVERCROWDING AND PREVALENCE OF DANGEROUS COMMUNICABLE DISEASES SUCH AS CHOLERA, SMALLPOX, TUBERCULOSIS AND MANY OTHER CHILDHOOD COMMUNICABLE DISEASES.

TO TACKLE THESE PROBLEMS, DR LEE SAID, PRIORITY WAS GIVEN ΤΟ DEVELOPING MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH SERVICES AND MOUNTING ANTI-EPIDEMIC MEASURES AND IMMUNISATION CAMPAIGNS.

DURING

HOWEVER, DR LEE SAID THERE WERE MANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS THE PAST 60 YEARS WHICH WERE RESULTS OF HARD WORK AND DEDICATION OF THE STAFF.

HE SAID THE INFANT MORTALITY PER 1,000 LIVE BIRTHS IN 1932 WAS 525 BUT IT FURTHER DECLINED TO 99.6 IN 1950 AND 6.5 IN 1991.

"THE MATERNAL MORTALITY ALSO DROPPED FROM 170 IN PER 100,000 TOTAL BIRTHS IN 1991.

1950 ΤΟ SIX

"APART FROM A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION IN PERINATAL MORTALITY, THE MAJOR KILLER DISEASES OF CHILDHOOD SUCH AS POLIOMYELITIS, DIPHTHERIA AND MEASLES HAVE EITHER BEEN ERADICATED OR WELL CONTAINED, HE SAID.

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DR LEE SAID ANOTHER ACHIEVEMENT MADE WAS THE VACCINATIONS AGAINST POLIOMYELITIS AND BCG WERE GIVEN TO ABOUT 99 PER CENT OF SCHOOL CHILDREN AND OVER 98 PER CENT OF NEWBORN BABIES RESPECTIVELY.

THE MORTALITY FOR TUBERCULOSIS REDUCED FROM 1,680 PER 100,000

IN 1952 TO 71 IN 1991, DR LEE SAID.

DR LEE SAID THE SERVICE WOULD CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IN QUANTITY AND QUALITY, INCLUDING THE OPENING OF NEW CLINICS AND EXPANSION OF EXISTING CLINICS, INTRODUCTION OF A PILOT "WELL-WOMAN CLINIC" PROJECT NEXT YEAR AND A NEW STUDENT HEALTH SERVICE IN 1994.

ANOTHER IMPROVEMENT WILL BE

THE

PRODUCTION OF CHILD HEALTH

BOOKLET EARLY NEXT YEAR.

THIS BOOKLET WILL RECORD ALL THE HEALTH INFORMATION OF THE CHILD FROM BIRTH TO 18 YEARS OF AGE AND WILL BE KEPT BY THE PARENTS.

"THE UTILISATION AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE EXISTING SERVICES WILL ALSO BE REVIEWED TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE BEING MANAGED IN A COST- EFFECTIVE AND EFFICIENT MANNER," DR LEE SAID.

DR LEE SAID: "IN THE YEARS AHEAD, I CAN SEE GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH A CLOSE LINK BETWEEN THE FHS AND THE STUDENT HEALTH SERVICE WHICH WILL ENSURE CONTINUITY OF CARE FOR INFANTS AND CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO 18 YEARS."

DR LEE WAS CONFIDENT THAT WITH THE SUPPORT AND CO-OPERATION FROM THE STAFF AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE, THE GOVERNMENT COULD GO ONE STEP FURTHER BY PROVIDING AN EVEN BETTER SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY.

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