Annual report of the Medical Department / Federated Malay States.

  • Federated Malay States. Medical Department.
Date:
[1933]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Federated Malay States. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    27/76 (page 21)
    It will be seen that there has been a substantial decrease .since 1931 which is most marked in the State of Negri Sembilan. It is interesting to observe. that in Malaya the incidence of beri-beri appears to show recessions corresponding to periods of lessened prosperity. (xiv)—Measures Taken to Spread Knowledge of Hygiene and Sanitation. The lecture van of the Committee for Public Health Education was kept in commission during the year and toured the country giving numerous exhibitions of the films “Aminah” (Infant Welfare) and “Rescue of Swee Ivim’’ (Tuberculosis) and films on “Malaria”. A portable power unit has been added to the van's equipment which has enabled films to be shewn in villages away from the roads and on the rivers. The Malayan Agri-Horticultural Exhibition was utilised to exhibit a Public Health and Infant Welfare Section which was well attended, and the exhibits aroused much interest amongst the 16,718 persons who visited the section, 5,223 of whom were Malays. Repeated lectures and demonstrations were given and propaganda films were shown throughout the course of the exhibition. Health exhibits were staged at various other centres during the year and succeeded in attracting several thousands of villagers. In Perak health lectures in selected kampongs (villages) have been inaugurated and at the end of the year were being given in all the districts. The principle which has been followed was that it is better to lecture frequently in the same place than to lecture once or perhaps twice a year in many scattered places. In each district,: therefore, four or five large kampongs have been selected in consultation with the District Officer, and a Malay Health Inspector lectures in each of these once or twice a month. The lecture is short (about quarter of an hour), deals with some principle of hygiene or sanitation and it is followed by a walk round the kampong, when any insanitary condition is demonstrated and advice is given as to the simplest and cheapest method of removing the nuisance. Health Inspectors and Penghulus report definite progress in some kampongs, which is most encouraging. There is no doubt that the kampong dweller is willing and, in most cases, eager to adopt measures which will improve his lot, provided the knowledge is brought to him in the right manner; and this method of disseminating “health consciousness” has many points which cause the health authorities to consider it the method of choice. Health Officers also now make visits to kampongs for the purpose of discussing health matters with the people as a part of their programme and devote a certain portion of each week for this purpose. On 20th November His Highness the Sultan of Perak made a trip down the Perak River accompanied by the Health Officer and visited several kampongs where he visited houses and exhorted the people to clean their kampongs and carry out the Health Officer’s recommendations.