LOWEST IN THE WORLD.

Waikato Times, Volume 102, Issue 17133, 21 June 1927, Page 7

LOWEST IN THE WORLD.

INFANT MORTALITY. DOMINION’S PROUD POSITION. CARE- OF MOTHERS. Speaking at Hamilton, last night, f!on. J. A. Young (Minister of Health, said that at present there are seven St. Helens Maternity Hospitals administered by the Department of Health, containing 129 beds, and there arc besides 50 maternity hospitals or provision for maternity cases at general hospitals under the control of Hospital Boards. In addition, there are nvb'r 200 private maternity hospitals in the Dominion. The Department of Health exercises a very close inspection of these private hospitals, which are required to conform to the regulations framed for the safeguarding of the welfare of maternity cases.

The Department, of Health, he added, whilst considering that labour is a natural function which might in many instances lake place in a woman's own home, yet realises that this is not possible or convenient in a number of cases and therefore has encouraged the building of maternity hospitals ih country districts, or the' addition of maternity wards to public hospitals in towns. At the same time, New Zealand has at present all the hospitals she needs and is able to support without too great a burden, on the public funds in all cases where small maternity hospitals arc built in country districts, it is essential that they shall be retained and used for the purpose for which they were built and not be allowed to drift into general hospitals, a tendency which, I am informed, has been too evident in the past. In fact, I understand that in more than one instance hospitals built primarily as maternity hospitals had to turn away maternity eases because they were filled with general cases. The .Minister expressed the opinion that multiplication of a ' number of small general hospitals is unwarranted and undersirabie and patients requiring hospital treatment should go to the larger hospitals where the necessary equipment and means to treat thc;r ailments are to be found. Besides establishing Sfate maternity hospitals and furthering the provision of public maternity hospitals and inspecting private maternity hospitals, the Health Department has done a great deal to promote maternal welfare by establishing ante-natal clinics at their State maternity hospitals and, in conjuhction with the Plunket Soclty, to promote the welfare of mothers and infants by the assistance it gives to the Plunket Society in connection with tiieir clinics devoted to the care of infant life.

It, is satisfactory to note that the efforts of the Department and those Co-operating with them have resulted in the reduction of the maternal mortality, which for the past year stands ut 4.21 per thousand births—a continuance of the steady reduction since 1920, when it stood at 0.48 per thousand.

Infant mortality in New Zealand in the first year of life, added the Minister, stands lowest of any country in the world. The Health Department, in conjunction with Hospital Boards and various welfare societies, is doing all it can to further lessen the maternal and infantile mortality, particularly infantile mortality in the first month of life. The greatest hope of attaining the desired end, rests upon improved ante-natal work and it is the object of the Department to see ante-natal clinics established at all public maternity hospitals, as they are already established at the St. Helens Hospitals, in order that the health of women shall be safeguarded not only at the time of child-birth but during the prenatal period.

Mr. Young said that 20 ante-natal clinics were now established. During the past year 3461 prospective mothers had attended these clinics on 13,175 occasions. The maternal mortality rate per 1000 live births was, in New Zealand as a whole, 4.25, whereas imongst women attending clinics the peicentagc was only 2.94 per 1000 The still-birth rate in New Zealand as a whole was 3LI, and amongst women attending the clinics was 22.64.

The Minister stated that there was greater maternal mortality in the country districts than in the town districts, 'he proportion being as 80 to 50.