Page 170 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

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sick children “ sent to tho nearest govornmout clinic " ? Do they, in their
'ock rendition, walk the many milos which lio bctwcon their villages and
the nearest clinic, or uro vehicles provided ? And by whom aro tho side
eliildrni '•sent" ? Certainly not by tho schoolmasters, on their own show­
ing ; nor by tho parents, whom tho samo report describes as boiug “ vory
iipulhelic towards illness.” And how can children bo “sont" at all, if
they are really ill ? And finally, nro tho government clinics equipped in
such a way us to bo ablo to provide treatment for “any condition ”? I think
that an inVcsligalion would show that tho sentonco which I havo quotod is
absolutely incorrect. In my opinion, thoro is no ollicial euro at all of tho
health of schoolchildren in Bahrain.
Who is to blame for Ibis state of affairs, and what is tho remedy for it?
Wo cannot hlamo tho Government, except perhaps indirectly, through tho
ollicials lo whom it has entrusted the conduct of education. Tho Govern­
ment cannot be. expected to devoto its timo to the supervision of tbo school-
children’s health. It has provided certain health facilities, notably tbo
local dispensaries, and it was for tbo school authorities to taku tho fullest
advantage of them. As a first step towards this they should have instituted
definite health instruction amongst tho children, and defmilo health pro­
paganda amongst the parents. And they ought in those districts whero
there arc local dispensaries lo have created liaisons between dispensary and
school. It is no valid excuse for a school in aster to plead that parents
arc ignorant and that children aro afraid of doctors. What is a school for,
if not lo remove, by education, igiiorunco and superstition? How can a
man call himself an ellicient educator and at tbo same time ignore tho fact
that education is dependent upon health ? It is not by more ohanco that tho
best schools in Bahrain aro thoFO which arc situated in tho healthier dis­
tricts : tbero is a relationship which every schoolmaster must bo fully awaro
of. There is no doubt whatover that tbo lalo Inspector and tbo studs of tho
schools are very largely responsible for tho wretched stato of affairs which I
have described.
As to remedy,lam afraid I havo not much faith in “weekly inspections”
of the schools by a doctor. They will bo of littlo value, in praetico ; for tho
more distant schools aro sure to bo neglected, liko tbo more distant fields of
any farm, and onco aguin Manainah and Muhurraq will get most of tho
alteution. In any case, tho inspecting doctor, when be arrives ut tho
schools, will bo welcomed only by tho healthy, or tbo fairly healthy, sinco tho
really sick will all bo at homo in bed. And ovon if it wore arranged that ho
should attend them in their homes, it would hardly ho reasonable to oxpeot
sick children to wait livo or six days for tho wookly visit of tho doctor.
In my opinion, tho problem of school health in Bahrain will novor bo
satisfactorily solved uutil tho Governmont decidos to appoint a rogular, full­
time, European doctor—preferably a woman—with Eastern oxpcrionco aud
with special qualifications in tbo treatment of diseases of tho oyo, ono whoso
•su/c occupation would bo work amongst children, and not only amongst thoso
children who attend school, for many juvonilo diseases aro highly infectious,
tual wo tbull not bo safeguarding the health of our schoolchildron if at tho
I'buo wo aro negloctiug tho hoalth of thoir non-attending companions.
Such a doctor as I havo described would bo ablo to work out her own
H.ucino for tbo care of the health of tho children of Bahrain—tho mon and
"onion of tomorrow. I havo soon tho splondid Stato Hospital whioh
the Govermnout is erooting at Manamah. It is a vonturo which would do
credit to auy Stuto. But ono of tho cardinal rulos of medioino is early
treatmont, and it scorns to mo to bo illogioul and inconsistent for tho