Heilbrigðisskýrslur - 01.12.1944, Page 213

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is 178 while the number of districts is about 200. Trained nurses do
little service outside hospitals. Dentists are very few. Trained dis-
pensing chemists are only in the larger towns, in villages and in the
country the districts medical officers have a small drug store.
17. 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 taken, adopt compulsory insurance. 42,8% of the
populaton are now insured under the National Insurance Act
(children who are insured with their parents not included).
18. Food and Nutrition. Public inspection of food has taken place
in this country since 1936, when the Food Adulteration Act caine 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. The chemical analysis work
is done at the Public chemical Analysis Institute in Reykjavik. 342
samples of food (milk excepted) were submitted for analysis in
1944, out of which nurnber 20 were found to be not up to the
standards (5,8%).
19. Hospitals, large and small, in 1944 numbered 47 in the whole
country, with 1176 beds, or 9,3 beds per 1000 inhabitants, 41 of this
number being general liospitals, with 705 heds, or 5,5%0. In the
tuberculosis sanatoria there are 257 beds, or about 2,0%c. Oí other
special hospitals may be mentioned: 1 lunatic asylum, 1 leprosarium
and 1 snrall epidemic hospital in Reykjavik. The sickdays in hospi-
tals amounted to 3,3 per head in the whole country, while in the general
lrospitals the figure was 1,8 and in the sanatoria 0,75. Added to this
there is always a large nuinber of tuberculosis patients in the general
hospitals (cf. also tables XVII-—XVIII).
Patients in general hospitals this year nray be classified as follows;
Epidemic Diseases ...................... 2,7 %
Venereal Diseases ...................... 1,2 —
Tuberculosis ........................... 5,2 —
Hydatid Disease ........................ 0,2 —
Cancer — Malignant Growths ............. 3,2 —
Births, Miscarriages etc.............. 14,1 —
Violence ............................... 6,5 •—
Other Diseases ........................ 66,9
20. Vaccination is conrpulsory in Iceland. 2224 children were vac-
cinated for the first time, 81% with full reaction, and 3222 revac-
cinated, 72% with full reaction (cf. table XIX).