Annual report / Medical Department, Fiji.

  • Fiji. Medical Department.
Date:
[1946]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report / Medical Department, Fiji. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    2/40 (page 2)
    9. It has been the policy of the department to make every endeavour to encourage nursing sisters to make service in the Islands their career and, to that end, the Government of Fiji has agreed in principle to a system sponsored by the South Pacific Health Service whereby, after two or more tours in the Colony, a Sister may be seconded to a New Zealand Hospital for a period of one year without loss of seniority. During this year the Sister will have an opportunity of keeping herself in touch with modern advances in nursing, and it is hoped that this privilege will tend to increase the numbers remaining in the Service. 10. The strength of the technical staff was improved by the return of two Health Inspectors from duty overseas with His Majesty’s Armed Forces, and the Pharmacy and the Pathological Laboratory were adequately staffed. There was evidence, however, that the increasing demands on the technical services was putting considerable strain on the existing staff. The Malarial Engineer appointed in 1945 completed a survey of immediate and projected major engineering works in connexion with Malaria Control (Anopheles Prevention). He was seconded to the Public Works Department for other duties in June. . 11. The Government of Fiji concurred in principle with a recommendation of the South Pacific Board of Health made in October that, in future, Native and Indian Medical Practitioners should be designated Assistant Medical Practitioners. It was recognized that this did not imply any change of status, but that it obviated a plurality of nomenclature in Fiji and other Pacific territories. 12. Five Fijians and one Indian graduated from the Central Medical School in December, bringing the total numbers of Assistant Medical Practitioners on the active strength to 69 Fijians and 10 Indians. 13. The number of locally trained nurses, predominantly Fijian, increased from 121 in 1945 to 130 in December, 1946. Of these 63 were employed in hospitals and dispensaries and 67 as district nurses in the field. (2) LEGISLATION. 14. The following laws, regulations, etcetera, were enacted during the year:— Ordinances— No. 12 of 1946—Town Planning. No. 14 of 1946—Sub-division of Land (Amendment). No. 20 of 1946—Quarantine (Amendment). Regulations— Legal Notice No. 11—Town Building (Amendment) Regulations, 1946. Legal Notice No. 82—Town Building (Amendment) Regulations, 1946. Legal Notice No. 93—Quarantine (Aerial Navigation) Regulations 1946. Legal Notice No. 114—Defence (Dwelling-House) (Amendment) Regulations 1946. Legal Notice No. 158 to 161—Hospital (Amendment) Regulations. Legal Notice No. 195—Town Building (Amendment) Regulations. By-laws— No. 17—Barbers’ Shops. tf.( (3) FINANCE. 15. The following table represents the finance of the Department during 1946, based on figures available on 31st March, 1947:— Gross Expenditure .. .. .. £230,177 Revenue .. .. .. .. .. 18,402 Nett Expenditure .. .. .. .. 211,775 16. The total expenditure includes allocations from Colonial Development and Welfare Funds of £14,430 for Mosquito Control (Anopheline Prevention) and £450 for a preliminary tuber¬ culosis survey. Excluding these amounts and taking the revised estimate of the total expenditure of the Colony as £1,832,268 the gross cost of the Medical and Health Services was 12-56 per cent of the total Colony expenditure or 16s. 6-38d. per head of the population. 17. The rising cost of expenditure per head of the population in the past 10 years is shown in Table I. The service has expanded in many directions, but the increasing costs of stores, equip¬ ment and feeding of patients are mainly responsible for the increase. TABLE I—COST OF MEDICAL SERVICES PER HEAD OF THE POPULATION. Expenditure Year. Population. per Capitum. o A Remarks. 1936 201,086 8 0-77 1939 215,030 10 7-42 1942 233,895 10 0-78 1944 246,485 12 0-81 £30,614 free grant from C.D.W.F. deducted. 1945 254,676 14 1-67 £26,264 free grant from C.D.W.F. deducted. 1946 260,468 16 6-38 £14,880 free grant deducted; £5,000 for new x-ray plant included. (4) MEDICAL STORES AND EQUIPMENT. 18. The supply of essential medical stores and equipment was well maintained throughout the year, and, although periodic delays in delivery of certain items caused anxiety from time to time, this never resulted in a serious inability to meet essential requirements. 22501397789