CHILD MIGRANTS DIE IN AUSTRALIA: DOCTORS DIVIDED

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23042, 5 September 1949, Page 5

CHILD MIGRANTS DIE IN AUSTRALIA: DOCTORS DIVIDED

(11 a.m.) MELBOURNE. Sept. 5. In the past 12 weeks 12 migrant children from Europe have died in the Albury District Hospital. Doctors disagree on whether they died from long-standing malnutrition or as a result of inadequate feeding on the voyage to Australia. The senior Commonwealth Medical Officer in Melbourne. Dr. F. R. Kerr, said that the deaths were due to “absolute starvation and malnutrition The honorary medical superintendent of the Albury Hospital, Dr. Favarloro, stated: “Information leads us to unde T* stand that most of the deaths are the result of conditions in ships coming oui to Australia.” ■ The Federal and immigration authorities have begun an inquiry. ine deaths date back to June 14 wnen two babies died on admission. Three died a day after admission. AU the children were between one and two years. Twenty-five others about the same age are gravely ill in the migrant marshalling camp at Bonegilla, Victoria. “We are advising an investigation on ships bringing immigrants out and a study of the migrants’ reactions to normal diet, said Mr. J. C. King, president of the Albury District Hospital. “The facilities at the Albury Hospital for the care fo the children are excellent, but these babies were dying when they came to us,” he said. The medical staff at Bonegilla said that many child migrants arrived suffering from malnutrition. 'ihe treatment at Bonegilla had been successful in many cases but others were in such a bad condition that they had to be sent to the Albury Hospital.