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Indian.—Once again all reports record how child welfare work has in
- c r e a s e d s t e a d i l y d u r i n g t h e y e a r . I t s v a l u e i s r e c o g n i s e d m o r e a n d m o r e ,
not only by the married Indian soldier or follower, but by the officers under
whose command these men serve. Difficulties of caste, class and religion still
form a barrier to free use by all, but the value of the work of Centres and of
Hospitals is such that these barriers are being steadily broken down.
In this connection it is worth recording how the barriers of caste and reli
- g i o n c a n d i s a p p e a r b y p e r s u a s i o n w h e n t h e u l t i m a t e b e n e f i t o f t h e c h i l d r e n
is the stake. In an Indian Cavalry Regiment a school has been formed for
children who are beyond the infant welfare stage. In this school all children
sit down and work together irrespective of the rank, class or caste of their
parents. At a British Military Hospital in another station a similar school
for the children of the men of the Indian Hospital Corps shows the same mix
- i n g o f t h e c l a s s e s a n d c a s t e s .
At present there is really no clearly defined division between the work of
child welfare centres, such as prenatal care of the prospective mother and
postnatal care of the infant and mother, and the work of a families hospital
including the treatment of all women and children, the work of welfare for
children in the lines and even the education of children of military personnel.
The tendency in many stations is for the treatment side of this work to develop
in importance at the expense of the pure child-welfare work in the lines. The
former is often more popular and appreciated by the women themselves be
- c a u s e i t i s t h e m o s t a p p a r e n t n e e d a n d p r o d u c e s t h e m o s t o b v i o u s r e s u l t s
which can be immediately noticed. But there is no doubt that the child
welfare side of the work is producing very beneficial effects and is steadily
gaining ground.
It is doubtful whether these different aspects of work for women and
children can ever be really separated; but the hospital treatment side of the
work is the one in greatest demand and now directly affects the health of the
troops concerned.
The number and scope of Indian Troops families hospitals is steadily
increasing; examples are at Quetta and Jhelum and the time is in sight when
the maintenance of an Indian Troops Family Hospital in each station will be
the responsibility of Army Headquarters.
Three quotations from reports by experienced officers may be given in
illustration of this. The S. E. M. O. of Sialkot writes:—
" I c o n s i d e r t h a t t h e C h i l d W e l f a r e C e n t r e s h a v e d o n e e x c e l l e n t w o r k
during the year. They have been popular with the troops'
families who realise what a boon such institutions are. In this
station one can confidently say that the wives and families of
Indian troops get the same medical care as their husbands."
from Roorkee we hear of a very wide scope of activities including welfare
centres with prenatal and post-natal care, infants and older children's schools,
the formation of troops of Bluebirds, Girl Guides and Boy Scouts and a flourish
- ing well-staffed family hospital. The S. E. M. O. writes:
—
"There can be no doubt of the value of the families hospital to the
health of the troops;.......... now that women and children