Report on the public health administration of Burma : 1925.

  • Burma. Department of Public Health
Date:
[1925]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health administration of Burma : 1925. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/106 (page 10)
    Statement VI ya). registered for 1924 and 7,117 less than 1923. The infantile mortality figures are 175*53 for 1925, 184*34 for 1924 and 172'22 for 1923. These figures do not represent the truth as all factors entering into the calcula¬ tion are known to be inaccurate. v This year the ratios of Mergui (87*03), Amherst (91*16) and Tavoy (98*92) are not only the lowest for the province but are also lower than those for the same district in the preceding years. 17. Urban Infant Death-rates.—-For 1925, the urban infant mortality figure is 286*16 as against 305*03 in 1924 and 285'92 the quinquennial average. The figure for Pyinmana (515*15) is the highest for the province. Meiktila held this unenviable position in 1924 with a figure of 507*30. In the former town altogether 330 births were recorded but there is good reason to believe that some 200 births go unregistered in the municipality each year. Only one result system midwife is employed and an immediate increase is obviously called for. That there is no Infant Welfare Society in the town is evidence of the lack of interest taken in the matter locally. Twenty-six towns return rates above the provincial average. Very high figures are recorded in Nyaunglebin (491*80), Pyawbwe (448*72), Kawkareik (437*06), Shwcbo (429*97), Thayetmyo (421*35), Meiktila (399*36), Myitnge (398*50), Gyobingauk (382*17), Pakokku (377*90), Magwe (375*00), Letpadan (362*20), Mawlainyainggyun (361*84), Kyaukse (358*41 >, Rangoon (351*85) Prome (346*22), Wakema (328*19), Yamethin i and Salin (324*32) each, Taungdwingyi (317*99) and Kyaiklat (301*68). The following 18 towns have figures below 200 :—Minhla, Kvaukpyu, Toungoo, Allanmyo, I'Kyaikto, Kyangin, Ye-u, Thongwa, Nattalin, Ngathainggyaung, Minbu, Konpyaw, Myanaung and Zigon while in Thonze, Tharrawaddy, Sandoway and Pyapon it is below 150. The figure for Pyapon during each of the last 3 years has been the lowest in the province. The figure for Sandoway is the next best this year. No deduction can be made from the iabove figures. It is in most cases an easy matter to show that they are altogether fallacious. Before Infant Welfare work can make any progress in the province, it is essential that we should be in possession of accurate statistical data. Infant Welfare workers could render valuable assistance by co-operation in ensuring that all births and deaths coming to their notice are accu¬ rately registered. In the absence of statistical evidence Infant Welfare Societies have no means of judging whether their efforts are in the right direction or are producing results commensurate with the time labour and money expended. Formerly these figures were collected primarily to enable vaccination to be carried out efficiently but the rapid spread of the interest taken in Child Welfare is nowadays ah almost equally important reason. 18. Infant Welfare Societies.—The administration of the Child Wel¬ fare Endowment Fund remSined in tfie hands of the Burma Branch of Indian Red Cross Society which contributed Rs. 500 to the Society for the Promotion of Infant Welfare, Moulmein, and supplied Red Cross