asked the Minister for Health whether he has prepared the sample regulation for the establishment of the mother and child service envisaged in the recent Health Act; whether he has taken administrative measures to assess the changes in the number and lists of medical personnel required to carry out preventive work in addition to medical treatment; what plans have been made to provide teaching on hygiene to school children; and, further, whether he is prepared to spend admittedly more money on having films prepared by an Irish film company or whether he is going to buy foreign made films for health propaganda work.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Operation of Health Act.
The nature of the mother and child service to be provided under the Health Act, 1947, and the consequential staff and organisational changes to be made in existing health services will be determined on consideration of the report of the Consultative Child Health Council which is considering this matter. As the Deputy is probably aware this council has been established for the purpose of giving advice on the measures which may appear to be likely to prove most effective for the improvement of the health of children generally or of any class or classes of children and in particular for the reduction of infant mortality.
My Department is at present in correspondence with the Department of Education concerning measures to be taken for the provision of health education for school children.
The purchase for exhibition purposes of certain existing films on health subjects of which a large and suitable selection is available is at present under consideration in my Department. In view, however, of the limited financial provision available this year for the purposes of the health campaign, it is not intended at present to sponsor the making of special health films in this country; the matter may, however; be given further consideration at a later date.
asked the Minister for Health if he will state in detail the administrative measures taken to prepare regulations, conditions of service and training of dispensary nurses provided for in the new Health Act, and whether he has consulted the Public Nurses' Organisation in regard to the valuable part they may play in training such nurses.
It has been assumed that the reference to dispensary nurses in this query is intended to mean public health nurses. The qualifications and list of duties for these nurses have been fixed for some time and local authorities were recently requested to consider the appointment of additional public health nurses where required. In view of anticipated developments in health services and the consequential increase in the number of nurses who will be required for these services, the making of improved arrangements for the recruitment and training of nurses has been under consideration and preliminary consultations with the statutory nursing bodies concerned have taken place. My Department has also been in correspondence with the Irish Nurses' Organisation in regard to the holding of a special course in public health nursing, pending the coming into operation of the improved arrangements referred to above.