Plunket Society marks Founders' day

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 48, 19 May 1987, Page 1

Plunket Society marks Founders' day

May 14 marks the foundation of one of New Zealand's oldest volunteer organisations - the Royal New Zealand Plunket Society. Founded in 1907, the society today involves over 50,000 volunteers in addition to the core of Plunket and Karitane nurses. Plunket's role within the community is to provide the best possible health service for young New Zealand families and this remains its primary objective. Last year Plunket nurses visited over 45,000 new babies, nearly 90% of those born in New Zealand. When Dunedin medical superintendent Dr Truby King founded the organisation, his major concern was the high infant mortality rates and the obvious lack of parental knowledge regarding children's nutritional requirements. The support shown by the Governor-General of the day, Lord Plunket and, more particularly Lady Plunket, of Dr King's theories has been subsequently reflected in the Society's name. Today Plunket continues to actively focus its attention on the major issues confronting the New Zealand family. Top on today's list are Cot Deaths, Child Abuse and Child Safety. The backbone of the Society's efforts continues to be centred around the work of the Plunket, Karitane and Volunteer nurses. The Plunket nurses are still the first point of contact for most mothers

and continue to operate as they have for decades, paying weekly home visits to the new baby until the mother is able to get to a clinic. The vital network of Plunket provides Karitane nurses who make regular home calls with an extra pair of hands To encourage greater confidence amongst parents, Plunket introduced a self-help preventive health care programme at the beginning of this year. It is designed to provide basic information on home medicine and stresses the importance of immunisation, nutrition and safety in the home. Realising the growing number of injuries to children in car accidents, Plunket has founded a car seat rental scheme. Over 22,000 Infant Love seats and Child Love seats are presently on loan to New Zealand families prov-iding correct restraint for preschool children. The Plunket Society now has numerous examples on record of children being saved from serious injury in accidents. To celebrate the anniversary, the Waimarino Plunket Society have donated the use of car seats to two women who gave birth to their babies last week. Each of the two subbranches in Ohakune and Raetihi held stalls on the day, giving away balloons to children and selling raffle tickets, candyfloss and home-made wares. Information about safety awareness was displayed on the day in both centres.