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Fund, there is a domiciliary service under the United Provinces Branch of
the Indian Red Cross Society. A medical woman is in charge of the
Maternity Section and works under the control of the Director of Public
Health. The maternity centres are under the management of local Red.
Cross Committees, but are inspected regularly by the Director of the
Maternity Section. Indigeneous dais are trained at these Centres and do
most of the maternity work in the Province. This work is supported patly
by a grant from the Local Government and partly by the Victoria Memorial
Scholarship Fund and the Indian Red Cross Society. An act for the
registration of health visitors, nurses and midwives has recently been
passed.

       10. Bengal has no organised maternity and child welfare scheme in
connection with the Public Health Department. The Local Government
assists voluntary bodies by giving (a) grants for the training of dais and
(b) grants for propaganda. In 1934 the Bengal Nurses' Act was passed
for the registration of health visitors and midwives, but this Act also
ignores the dais and has no penal clauses for malpractice.

       Maternity Service.—Institutional. A certain number of beds are pro-
vided in the large mofussil hospitals and Calcutta possesses four special
women's hospitals, but the number of available beds is far below the
needs of the population. Domiciliary. The Calcutta Corporation main-
tains 7 maternity and child welfare clinics and 4 maternity homes.

       The Provincial Branch of the Indian Red Cross Society also manages
a number of welfare centres. The vast majority of Bengal women are,
however, in the hands of untrained dais. The rural areas are almost
entirely uncatered for. The number of deaths due to child bearing in
Calcutta during 1935 was 322. The accuracy of this figure is doubtful.
Dr. Neal's enquiry between June 1936 and 1937 showed that during that
period there were 701 deaths directly due to child bearing. Similarly the
recorded figure of maternal deaths of 16,581 in 1936 in the whole Bengal
is not likely to be an underestimate. Untrained midwives, dirty sur-
roundings, overcrowding, poor diet, ignorance and superstition are all
responsible for such high mortality.

       11. Punjab.—There is no separate Maternity Service in connection
with the Public Health Department but the Punjab Government gives
grants-in-aid for approved schemes for maternal welfare work and finances
and maintains a Health School. The Superintendent of this School is
also Inspectress of the Health Centres. In this Province there is a
Registration Act for nurses, midwives and dais, but no penal clauses for
malpractice are attached. The great majority of confinements are in the
hands of dais, most of whom are untrained.

       12. Delhi Province.—Institutional facilities are good in the city of
Delhi as there are three very good hospitals for women and the women
have become "hospital minded" as regards childbirth. The admissions
to hospital have risen from 593 cases in 1922 to 3,241 cases in 1936.
Efficient antenatal clinics are held in connection with all 3 hospitals.
In 1936 there were 257 trained dais practising in urban areas and they