THE SEMINAR ON VENEREAL DISEASES AND FAMILY COUNSELLING

Ref- The Social Service Quarterly
(The Organ of the Social Service League, Bombay)

Volume number. XXXXIX, (No.1) July 1963

Page No. 5-6

by Dr. M. P. Vora
speaking on:
Measures for Control of V. D.

The seminar on Venereal Diseases and Family Counselling was held in Bombay on 27 th and 28 th April 1963 under the auspices of the Maharashtra Branch of the Association for Moral and Social Hygiene. Shri.M.Chaudhari, Minister for Public Health, Maharashtra presided over the seminar. Lady Rama Rau inaugurated it. Subjects selected for discussion in the section of Venereal Diseases were:

• V.D an Uncontrolled Menace, Steps for its Control,
• Public Health Aspects of V.D.,
• Bearing of Sex Education, and Student Counselling Programme on V.D. Control,
• Remedies suggested for the control of V.D.; and
• The Role of Social Worker in the Hospital in V.D. Control.

The subjects chosen in the section of “Family Counselling” were:

• Post-Marital Counselling
• Pre-Marital Counselling.

Dr. M.P.Vora speaking on “Measures for Control of V.D.” regretted to note the absence of any reference to the incidence of V.D. amongst industrial workers in the latest annual report of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation. It was surprising that while campaigns against infectious diseases such as small-pox and T.B. had been launched with success, nothing had been done to control V.D. amongst industrial workers. The incidence of V.D. was on the increase especially in the younger age groups and posed a greater danger to public health. Ignoring the existence of V.D. or the tacit avoidance of the mention of the subject on the part of authorities would not be helpful. To add to that, existing facilities for the diagnosis, treatment and control of V.D. were grossly inadequate, ill-planned and unorganized. Whatever few clinics the country had, were in the urban areas. No facility whatsoever existed in the district or mofussil towns or villages. The clinics suffered from wants of proper and suitable accommodation, equipment and adequate staff. Proper methods of diagnosis, case-tracing, case-holding, education of patients, record-keeping, tests of cure and surveillance- the most important procedures in the management of V.D were generally neglected. If the clinics were to function properly and progress efficiently, it was essential that they should be under the direct control of a Central Authority- the Directorate of Venereology. The State Government conjointly with the Central Government should set up a separate division called “Deputy Directorate or Regional Directorate of Venereology”. Under such a Central Authority, efforts for the control of V.D. could be adequately coordinated at the State and Central levels. The other suggestions made by Dr.Vora were:

• Institution of separate chairs for venereology and dermatology in every teaching hospital and medical college,
• Creation of separate venereal department in every general hospital for giving the benefit of highly specialized care,
• Establishment of an institute of venereology in each state for manning various types of services in venereal clinics,
• Institution of a diploma or degree in venereology at the post-graduate level in universities,
• Giving social status to venereology as had been done to other medical specialities,
• Improvement and enhancement in the training of venereology for medical students to ensure regular supply of competent practitioners in the future,
• Starting of a three month course in the practice of venereology for the benefit of general practitioners,
• Developing of appropriate procedures to be completed by the practitioners who undertook to treat V.D.,
• Provision of free and adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities for all infected persons and shouldering of financial burdens for V.D. Control programmes by the state,
• Recognizing the need of a good venereal clinic while planning some new medical activities such as a hospital at a district or a town level,
• Institution of a central laboratory for undertaking advanced work and research of V.D.,
• Starting of mobile clinics or vans for the rural population,
• Compulsion upon all clinics and practitioners treating V.D. to submit monthly returns,
• Enactment of legislation for the control of V.D. embodying in it obligatory provisions of pre-marital examination and blood testing of persons intending to marry, subjecting pregnant woman to ante-natal blood tests, and prohibiting quacks and fraudulent healers who sold anti-venereal drugs to the public without a doctors’ prescription,
• Improving social and economic condition of the people,
• Provision of healthy recreational facilities for the youth,
• Promotion of marital harmony etc.