PLUNKET SOCIETY

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 15, 17 July 1937, Page 18

PLUNKET SOCIETY

WELLINGTON BRANCH

YEAR'S ACTIVITIES

The twenty-ninth report of the Royal ,f New Zealand Society for the Health of ;. Women and Children, Wellington c branch, to be presented at the annual f meeting on Wednesday, says that it is a matter for congratulation uiat the New Zealand infantile mortality statistics f r the past year show a still lower • Irate—3o.96 as compared with 32.28 per . 1000 live births for the previous year, 'j Service to the mothers and babies in Wellington and its suburbs has been -' faithfully carried out by the stafT of ' eleven nurses. The rise and fall of ' the number of babies born in each slidurb with the subsequent calls for help from the society is carefully watched by the charge nurse who makes the necessary adjustments in the service! given by the nurses and so preserves a balanced distribution of work. The I volume of work has been of the same - high level as in the previous year, indicating an ever-increasing demand a for mothercraft education from the wo- . men of the city and suburbs. "The most marked increase is in the pre-school section, 1695. attendances at ' the central rooms alone as against 1214 - last year. Of the new cases, about ' 75 per cent, of the children were two j years and under. The balance ranged up to three years. This is gratifying as showing consciousness of. the need ' to carry on the closer general super--5 vision of the child after it leaves the ■ baby stage. With only one nurse for • this section it was found necessary to . arrange the work on the appointment • system. The society is aware that I there is a crying need for expansion ■• in this further field of activity, not only to preserve the health standard i achieved in the first eighteen months ,of life, but in order to carry this standard through the next few years , to ensure the full mental and physical development of the child until it comes under the supervision of '.he school doctors and nurses. Unfortunately, there is a definite limitation in this section owing to lack of funds, the services of one nurse being quite ! inadequate to meet the growing demand for advice and guidance as regards the .pre-school child. "The net result of the year's working is shown as follows:—Plunket nursing profit, £521 0s 7d; Karitane Hospital loss £194 5s 8d; net profit for the year, i £326 14s lid." KARITANE HOSPITAL. "The work of the Karitans Hospital has run an uneventful course during the last year," says the report of Dr. Lan B. Ewart, the honorary medical officer. "The hospital takes a valuable place in the health services of Welling- . ton and the surrounding districts. From the matron's report it will be seen that cases are admitted from as far afield as Hawke's Bay and Blenheim. As regards to the number of cases admitted to hospital there has been little change from the previous year. Actually there has been, no change as regards admission.of babies (243). The number of mothers admitted was 102, or two less than the previous year. Of the 243 babies admitted, eight died. Of these—as usual—the majority (six) were premature babies. Of these four ( died within two days of admission, s There were 33 premature babies admit- t ted, as compared with 36 for the pre- \ vious year. As I pointed out in my l previous report, this was to be expect- I ed as more and more of the maternity s teaching hospitals are making provision I for the care of premature babies, bom r in their hospitals. Lectures to the ( nurses have been given by Drs. Mont- c gomery Spencer, J. F.-.Harding,/ W. f G. Paterson, and myself. ■ We-wish to \ thank the medical practitioners, and i the staff of the various hospitals whose co-operation has been of extreme value v in the fulfilment of the work of our hospital." THE ANNUAL MEETING. 1' The annual meeting of the branch d will be held at 2.30 p.m. on Wednes- g day in the Dominion Farmers' Insti- n lute. All members and friends are in- P vited, and the occasion should be found of unusual interest. The speakers will include the Mayor, who will preside, a the Hon. P. Fraser, Acting Prime Minister, and Mrs. Hart, one of the dele- ■ gates to the New Education Fellowship j1 Conference. Mrs. Hart will speak on "Parent Education." ?l