Annual report of the Medical Department / Nyasaland Protectorate.

  • Nyasaland. Medical Department.
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Nyasaland Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    3/42 (page 3)
    D. Financial 32. The estimated expenditure of the Department during 1951, exclusive of that chargeable to the Colonial Development and Welfare Fund, was 9.28 per cent, of the estimated total ordinary expenditure of the Protectorate, and 6.77 per cent, of the estimated total expenditure. 33. The basis of administration of Colonial Development and Welfare Fund allocations to the Protectorate was altered with effect from the 1st January, 1951. The unexpended balance of the alloca¬ tion to the Medical Department is now being used to assist the development expenditure of the Depart¬ ment rather than to meet expenditure on specific projects. The yearly allocations for the period 1951 to 1955 become a fixed percentage of the Department’s actual annual expenditure in each of the five years, subject to an annual maximum of £35,000. The total estimated expenditure for the year, 1951, was £259,664 of which £91,000 was defined as expenditure on development. Of this latter amount 35 per cent, subject to a maximum of £35,000 is the grant to be made from Colonial Development and Welfare Funds. Under this system the main heads of development expenditure for 1951 were estimated to be:— (1) General duty staff and adequate provision for transport and travelling .. .. .. .. .. .. £23,500 (2) Provision of well equipped central curative units . . . . 34,000 (3) Training more African auxiliaries .. .. .. .. 4,500 (4) Re-organization of the leprosy service .. .. .. 5,500 (5) Modern Mental Hospital (equipment and increased recurrent costs) .. .. .. .. .. .. 17,500 (6) Smallpox control and insect vector control .. .. 6,000 Total .. .. £91,000 34. The total revenue of the Department amounted to £10,032-4s-4d as against £7,896-2s-ld collected during 1950. This does not include the revenue from the sale of anti-malarial drugs through Post Offices. Revenue was collected under the following Heads:— 1950 1951 £ s d £ s d Hospital Fees 5,191 10 8 .. 6,822 8 7 Sale of Stores 1,648 6 2 .. 1,811 8 3 Pathological Fees .. 43 1 0 .. 31 4 6 Radiological Fees .. 302 18 6 .. 695 10 0 Dental Fees 642 10 1 .. 606 3 0 Ambulance Fees 27 12 8 .. 60 14 0 Yellow Fever Inoculation Fees 30 3 0 .. 4 16 0 Total .. £7,886 2 1 .. £10,032 4 4 Sales of quinine, mepacrine and paludrine at Post Offices were as 1950 follows:— 1951 £ s d £ s d Quinine 1,345 10 0 .. 1,341 4 7 Mepacrine 289 4 7 .. 389 2 1 Paludrine . . 1,031 16 8 ., 984 2 0 Total .. £2,666 11 3 .. £2,714 8 8 SECTION II. PUBLIC HEALTH A. General Remarks 36. Whereas 1950 was planned to be a year of consolidation, 1951 was designed to be the the first year of the active phase of development. The approval of the revised Medical Development Plan submitted to the Secretary of State during 1950 was received early in the year. The main features of this development programme, which covers the period 1950 to 1955, are as follows:— (i) the provision of more general duty staff with adequate facilities for transport and travelling which will ensure that existing curative establishments have the supervision necessary for maximum efficiency; (ii) the provision of well equipped central curative units; (iii) the training of more African auxiliaries; (iv) the development of health units and the construction of a limited number of new dispensaries; (v) the re-organization of the leprosy services on modern lines; (vi) the provision of a modern mental hospital equipped to treat mental disease. 37. To a limited extent the aims of the first year were attained; the limiting factors were the inability to recruit general duty staff and a sharp financial recession which made itself felt during the third quarter of the year.