MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20789, 7 August 1929, Page 7

MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.

DAME JANET CAMPBELL. VISIT TO AUSTRALIA, i (From Oub Own Correspondent.) LONDON, June 20. Dame Janet Compbell'(Senior Medical Officer for Maternity and Child Welfare, Ministry of Health) has received an invitation from the Australian Federal Government to visit the Commonwealth and report on , maternity and child welfare. One afternoon this week Viscountess Elibank (president) and the committee of the United Empire Circle of the Lyceum Club held a reception in Dame. Janet’s honour and to bid, her godspeed. Lady Elibank said she had heard how very soliry thev Government at this end was at''losing her valuable services for a time, but Australia would benefit by her visit.. They greatly appreciated the work she had done in this country during the time she had been in office. She had done untold good, and they hoped that her work in Australia and New Zealand would be of equal value.

In an interview previous to the speeches Dame Janet Campbell told me that she had ho notification of any in- 1 vitation to New Zealand. Her time was so limited that, she had ho desire to prolong her' tour, ; Aa' a matter of fact. Dame Janet is naturally anxious td be in England in case the Labour Government should decide to carry out aiiy forward movement. .. ,x "

In her speech Dame - Janet said that in, Australia there were many distinguished doctors [and other workers who' were studying; the questions of maternity ,and child welfare. She was sure they would know more about the problems in the Commonwealth than any temporary visitor/and she would 'learn more than she could ever hope to teach. Doubtless their problems' were much the same as in the Home Country. One of the, chief difficulties here was in persuading the expectant mother to look after herself and to , obtain ■ medical advice about herself. If they could only make the mothers! be exj atmned they could ayoid much of the damage and many of the deaths which occur at childbirth. They needed to encourage the better training of mid- , wives and the doctors to equip themselves more fully than they had done in the past" in regard to midwifery,- They needed mdre co-operation between all those concerned with maternity and child welfare. There was also the problem of the care and treatment of children from one year of age to school age. If they could persuade the parents to report any' complaints like adenoids or rickets at the earliest- possible moment they might find that a far greater percentage of children would be in a- proper state of health when they came to school age. She imagined; that these were the sort of problems that Australia, too,had .to face. - , ■