Health Programme Now Under Way In China

Wanganui Chronicle, 22 December 1950, Page 7

Health Programme Now Under Way In China

After three years in China as a Corso worker, Miss Isabel Easton, a New Zealand nurse, arrived on Wednesday by air from Sydney. Wanganui will be her first port of call as her family moved to this city from Taumarunui during her absence. She trained at Dannevirke Hospital, did maternity training at Cook Hospital, Gisborne, and Plunket in Dunedin. Tremendous strides were being made by the Government of China in work to improve the health of all sections of the people, said Miss Easton in an interview on arrival in Wellington. A national health programme had been instituted for prevention of disease, care of mothers and babies, and health and welfare of the people. In Shanghai, where she was stationed most recently, she had evidence of the thoroughness of the new Health Department's method. During the last summer wholesale vaccinations against smallpox nd anticholera injections were given. It was compulsory to carry about a small yellow card showing that the holder had received injection against cholera. If a person did not have one he or she was marshalled into queues on the streets by squads of Health Department workers, and received treatment on the spot. It was estimated that more than three-fifths of the people were so treated, foreigners and Chinese alike. Even boats and junks were visited and their inhabitants treated.

This was an activity of the antiepidemic section of the department. Another was a campaign against rats. It was estimated the 2000 tons of rats were killed in Shanghai last year.

Madame Sun Yat Sen’s China Welfare Fund had been reorganised on a more permanent basis and re-named the China Welfare Institute. Miss Easton worked at an institute clinic in Shanghai. There it maintained mothers’ clubs, somewhat like New Zealand Plunket centres. She was concerned with running these clubs along with children’s clinics in the poorest parts of the city.

Conscientious Madame Sun, who had the interests of the Chinese people at heart and has worked for them for years is still chairman Of the institute. All-Chinese staffs man the various centres which receive Government subsidies for much of their work.

Lectures in homes and factories on hygiene, health and improvements in the home care of children were also given. The public health talks were reduced to the simplest terms for the benefit of the people who had never before been so instructed and welcomed the idea. The main rason for Miss Easton working at the clinic was to introduce something of Plunket methods of maternal and child care.

Before going to Shanghai ihe New Zealander worked at the Bethune International Peace Hospital at Changchih. She was there 18 months. Village girls were coming to train as nurses. Most had to be taught to read and write first. They learned quickly, were enthusiastic and made good nurses. “It is really thrilling to see the progress jteing made in health matters." she said, adding that she bad made manv pood friends in China and would like to go back there to work sometime. Tn the meantime she wi’l take a nursing post in New Zealand. Cp~*netiHon At There were a large number of entries in the children’s art. competition in connection with the Christmas carnival which is being conducted under the auspices of the Hunterville Chamber of Commerce. The results are as follow Standards 1 and 2: D. Leach (Pakihikura) 1, Judith Powell (Hunterville) 2, Garry Watt (Hunterville) 3. Standards 3 and 4: Jan Culpitt (Hunterville) 1, Vera itnuth (Pukerca) 2, Jeanette Hartley (Pukeroa) 3. Forms I and II: Pauline Laird (Hunterville) 1, Lucky Manunui (Hunterville) 2, Ron Griffin (Hunterville) 3.