HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 123, 26 May 1915, Page 11

HEALTH IN SCHOOLS

MORE THAN INSPECTION NEEDED Questions of medical inspection of schools were under consideration by the Education Board yesterday. It was decided to forward to the Department a request from Makuri for the extension of medical inspection to smaller schools. The Ngaio School Committee recommended that action be taken in regard to medical treatment for children reported by the medical inspector as requiring same. Mr. C. M. Luke said that he had previously drawn attention to the need lor following up these cases. The Chairman (tho Hon. J. G. W. Aitken) said the board had approached the Department with proposals, and the Department had beon unable to adopt the same. The Act provided for the penalising of parents who neglected to obtain medical attention after being notified that a child was suffering from diease or defect. On the motion of Mr. J. Kebbell it was resolved that the attention of the committee be drawn to this clause of the Act. Mr. Luke further moved that tho Government be approached with a view to statutory provision being made for expenditure necessary in following up cases reported by tho medical inspectors. Mr. Moss seconded the motion. Ho remarked that there was not much loft for the parents nowadays ; the tendency Was for the State to do everything; but he realised that there were Cases in which the parents were unable to obtain the attention desired. The Chairman said that in the reports a most pronounced, and outstanding feature was the number of cases of malnutrition. These were cases for the parents, not for a doctor. If parents were simply informed by the medical officer what were suitable foods for children the htimber of cases would probably be greatly diminished. Mr. A. W. Hogg contended that many evils arose in the Education and other Departments through centralisation. If they wanted a grant they had to go on their bended knees to obtain it from a central, authority, which could not give proper attention to all parts of the Dominion. The system of medical inspection was very ineffective — more a farce than anything else. In England they had decentralisation, and much greater efficiency in consequence. There a trained nurse was employed to follow up the cases reported by the medical inspector and see that something was done. Mr. Luke's motion was agreed to.,