Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1938, Page 199

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holding appointments is 199, while the number of districts is 207.
Trnined nurses do little service outside hospitals. Dentists are very
few. Trained dispensing chemists are only in the larger towns, in
villages and in the country the district medical officers have a small
drug store.
15. General Insurance. The National Insurance Act from 1936
(amended 1940) covers besides diseases: accident, disablement and
old age insurance. In all urban districts insurance against loss of
health is obligatory for persons, whose annual income does not exceed
a fixed minimum, in rural districts the parish councils may, after a
general vote has been talcen, adopt compulsory insurance. 29,6% of
the population are now insured under the National Insurance Act
(childrens who are insured with their parents not included).
16. Food and Nutrition. Public inspection of food has taken [)lace
in this country since 1936, when the Food Adulteration Act came into
force. This Act provides comprehensive control of all articles of food
and other nutritients. This inspection is in the hands of the District
Medical Officers of Health and the Sanitary Committees, in co-opera-
tion with the local Police Authorities and under the supervision of
special Sanitary Officer in Reykjavík (the capital). The chemical
;>nalysis work is done at the Public Chemical Analysis Institute in
Reyk javík. 373 samples of food (milk excepted) were submitted for
onalysis in 1938, out of whieh number 16 were found to be not up to
the standards (4,3%).
17. Hospitals, large and srnall, have in 1938 reached the number of
48 in the whole country, with 1167 beds, or 9,9 beds per 1000 in-
nabitants, 40 of this number are general hospitals, with 668 beds, or
In the tuberculosis sanatoria there are 284 beds, or about 2,4%0.
Of other special hospitals may be mentioned: 1 lunatic asylum, 1
jeprosarium and 1 small epidemic hospital in Reykjavík. The sick-days
*n hospitals amounted to 3,4 per head in the whole country while in
the general hospitals the figure was 1,8, and in the sanatoria 0,89.
Added to this there is always a large number of tuberculosis patients
•n the general hospitals (cf. also tables XVI—XVII).
Patients in general hospitals this year may be classified as follows:
Epidemic diseases ........................ 3,4%
Venereal diseases ..................... 1,5—
Tuberculosis .......................... 8,3—
Hydatid disease . . . ................. 0,3—
Cancer and Malignant tumors ........... 3,0—
Births, miscarriages etc............... 12,0—
Violence .............................. 6,1—-
Other diseases ........................ 65,4—
18. Vaccination is compulsory in Iceland. 2151 children were vac-
Onated for the first time, 56% with full reaction and 2480 revac-
cinated, 59% with full reaction (cf. table XVIII).