MEDICAL INSPECTORS

Evening Post, Volume XCIV, Issue 68, 18 September 1917, Page 7

MEDICAL INSPECTORS

HEALTH OF SCHOLARS

Speaking on the. question of medic*! inspection of „school children, the Hon. J. A. flan^ri, -'•'Minister' of Education, pointed out' tWafcVwhile there Were six•Medical School inspectors on the staff, only four were actually engaged at the work, one being absent in England on account of :> ill-health, ■ whiles another: recently appointed had not yet taken up duty* ' It.;wfls his;desire, said.the Minister, that the nature and scope of this valuable work- .should be * extended, but there' was'a ("shortage, of doctors in the Dominion which, prgyented, the sefvices of additional officers'being secured." In view of the.fact that .the roll number of primary schools last,, year was over 180,000, and that the four Medical InEpectorsi were able to examine less thctii 11,000, if was obvious that a larger sta-'J' «f Medical Inspfedtprs would be'essential before the work necessary to be dotie in this .direction "conld be adequately dischai'ged. For each child to be examined only once in its school life it would be necessary to examine about .22,000 yearly. Owing to the impossibility of securing 'additional suitable .Medical Inspectors at the present time, schools with ah average attendance of less than 120 were, he regretted to .'.say,, entirely ex- , eluded from ■ the medical inspection scheme, and a number of schools above this.limit danribt: be!'.visited."every year.