Annual report of the Department of Public Health / Union of South Africa.

  • South Africa. Department of Health
Date:
[1944]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Department of Public Health / Union of South Africa. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Table 37.—Personnel of Nursing Homes. Province. European. Non-European. Qualified. Unqualified. Qualified. Unqualified. Cape. 350 226 9 99 Transvaal. 438 304 13 96 Natal. 190 128 28 187 Orancre Free State. 73 31 1 2 Totals... 1,051 689 51 384 7. District Nursing Services. Table 38 indicates the actual number of nurses and midwives em¬ ployed at 30th June, 1944, in services subsidised in terms of Act No. 57 of 1935. The number of Europeans employed was less than last year but the number of non-Europeans employed has increased. The demand for both European and non-European nurses is far greater than the supply as is emphasised by the fact that although the number of posts approved at 30th June, 1944, was 665 the number actually filled was only 533. During the year 185 centre were visited in connection with nursing and maternity services. of these two factors is difficult to assess without a very detailed inves tigation but the possibility that dental caries is actually increasin rapidly, presumably due to change of food habits, must not be los sight of. The incidence of dental caries is considerably lower, only 28 per cent among children whose teeth were mottled, due to fluorine in the wate supply, than among those children with no mottling, in whom it wa nearly 87 per cent. Similarly, it was very much lower among childre: living in the endemic fluorosis areas, where it was 40 per cent., tha: in those areas where the drinking water contains less than one par per million of fluorine, where the incidence of dental caries was 90 pe cent, or more. It has previously been indicated, however, that althoug] a moderate excess of fluorine in the water is beneficial to the teeth, , marked excess of fluorine on the other hand leads to hypoplasia of th teeth which predisposes to dental caries. Children who habitually drink “ hard water, which contains larg amounts of lime, have better teeth than those who drink “ soft water. From this survey it appears that the diet is the most importan contributory causal factor. The greatest number of children who ar free from caries was found in those areas where the carbohydrate intak is low and the diet consists chiefly of whole-meal bread and meat. Th greatest number of children with carious mouths on the other hand was found in those- areas where the carbohydrate intake Js very higl and the diet consists mostly of bread, rice, sweet-potatoes and ver- little or no meat. Table 38.—District Nursing Service: Nurses, Midwives and Non-European Nursing Assistants as at 30th June 1944 in respect of whom Subsidies or Part-Refund of Salaries are Paid, compared with the Totals as at 31st December, 1935. Race. Part-refunds under section 14 (a). Subsidies under section 14 (6). Part-refunds under section 15 (a). Subsidies under section 15 (6). Part-refunds to Provincia Administrations under section 13. 1935. 1944. 1935. 1944. 1935. 1944. 1935. 1944. 1935. 1944. European. 23 92 7 55 10 114 Native. 2 9 — — 11 95 3 99 _ 18 Coloured. — 10 1 5 — — :— — 26 All Races. 25 111 8 60 11 105 3 99 — 158 8. General Hospitals. The system of advising the Provincial Administrations on hospital matters has been continued. Owing to the abnormal times and the consequent acute shortage of professional officers, it was not practicable to carry out routine inspections of the hospitals under the jurisdiction of Provincial Administrations as was done formerly. The Department in consultation with the Department of Public Works nevertheless was able to advise Provincial Administrations on new hospital schemes or extensions to existing hospitals. In spite of many war-time difficulties, hospital boards have, generally speaking, made eveiy effort to meet the shortage of general hospital accommodation in the Union. In the Cape Province a scheme for an entirely new hospital at Butterworth was commenced and the plans have reached a satisfactory stage, while at Port Elizabeth the plans for an entirely new non-European hospital, quite separate from the European hospital, has made con¬ siderable progress. In the Orange Free , State no additional hospital accommodation has been provided, the Administration taking the view that the hospital needs of the province are at present met. In the Natal Province no additional accommodation has been provided and, as far as is known, the proposal to provide a new hospital for Europeans in Durban is still under consideration. In the Transvaal Province the erection of a new hospital at Potchef- stroom is in progress, while a scheme for a new hospital at Vereeniging is also under consideration. 9. Dental Survey. The results of the investigations in connection with dental caries which were carried out by the Dental Health Officer are published in detail in his “ Report on the Incidence of Dental Caries Among School Children in South Africa ”, in which the Various aspects of the matter are fully discussed. In his survey the Dental Health Officer examined 78,563 European school children for caries in different parts of South Africa and of this number he found that 67,063, or 85 per cent., had at the time of examination or had at some previous time suffered from one or more carious teeth. Of the same number, 56,312, or 72 per cent., were actually in need of dental attention at the time of examination. On this basis it was estimated that of 391,056 school children in South Africa approximately 334,484 suffer or have suffered from dental decay at some time in their lives and approximately 280,638 are in need of dental attention. The incidence of dental caries was found to be highest in the southern and south-western coastal areas of the Cape Province and in the Natal coastal districts, while it was lowest in the north-western Cape Province and the northern Transvaal. The incidence was higher among the children of the urban areas, where 93 per cent, were found to be affected, than among those of the rural areas, where the figure was 79 per cent., and it is probable that the higher consumption of refined foods such as sweets, cakes and biscuits by children in the towns is an important factor. It was also found that the incidence was higher among school children of the lower age groups. It is possible that the deciduous teeth are more susceptible to dental caries than are the permanent teeth and there is also the fact that the deciduous teeth in young school children have been exposed to the risk of dental caries for a longer period than the permanent teeth in slightly older children. The influence From these facts it is clear that the prevention of dental caries depend, to a large extent on improved dietetic habits with a greater consumptioi of meat, whole-meal bread, dairy products, eggs, vegetables and fruit and a reduction in the consumption of carbohydrate foods, especially the refined cereals, rice, sweet-potatoes, cakes, sweets and biscuits An increase in the fluorine and calcium intake in the diet in those area: where these substances are deficient would improve the position. Mor< attention to oral hygiene is also required by correct brushing of teetl after meals, rinsing, and the eating of hard, course, fibrous foods whict assists in keeping the mouth clean and reducing the activities and growtl of the destructive oral flora. If this great problem of dental caries is to be adequately dealt with, it will obviously be necessary not only to improve the diet of a largt proportion of the population but also to provide organized dental services for those people who cannot afford to pay for their own dental attention as the dental services at present provided for indigent school children are very limited. Great expansion in these services including the employment of many full-time dentists of whom the majority should be itinerant, would be required to deal adequately with the problem. 10. The South African Medical Council. In terms of the Medical, Dental and Pharmacy Act, a special meeting of the Council was held in January, 1944, to elect office bearers and committees of the new Council which came into existence on the 1st January, 1944. The following table indicates the number of registrations and restora- tions effected during the year :— Registrations. Restorations. Medical Practitioners. 223 25 Dentists. 11 5 Medical Students. 431 — Dental Students. 42 _ Nurses. 781 115 Midwives... 512 87 Masseurs. 12 2 As in previous years the number of nurses coming into the Union from oversea has shown a decline. Only 47 such nurses were registered, 34 of whom came from Great Britain, the others came from Australia, Canada, Southern Rhodesia, etc Twenty midwives were registered by virtue of qualifications obtained in oversea countries, principally in Great Britain. The following tables show the numbers of persons whose names appeared in the various registers on the 30th June, 1944 :— Medical Practitioners. 3,932 Dentists. 746 Medical Students. 1,704 Dental Students. 100 Nurses. 8,801 Midwives. 5,958 Masseurs. 110 Dental Mechanicians. 121 The Council still continues to receive a number of applications for registration as specialists. These applications are considered by a special committee of the Council, whereafter the applications are
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