§ 40. Mr. Stonehouseasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he will ask the Uganda Government to set up a committee to advise on measures to be taken to reduce child mortality in the protectorate.
§ Mr. ProfumoCommittees on general and applied nutrition have been set up in the Protectorate. The general problem of child mortality is well understood and it is not considered that a special committee could do more than recommend such remedial measures as the Protectorate Government are already taking.
§ Mr. StonehouseIs the hon. Gentleman aware that the figures for child mortality in the Protectorate are quite appalling, and that four out of ten children die before reaching 15 years of age? Is he aware that something should be done urgently to deal with the problem of malnutrition and that special attention should be paid to this problem through the setting up of a special committee?
§ Mr. ProfumoI cannot agree. The position in Uganda does not stem from a lack of knowledge of the problem, but from ignorance, superstition, lack of hygiene and a backward economy in some areas which militates against the practical application of remedial measures.