Annual medical report / Colony and Protectorate of Kenya.

  • Kenya. Medical Department.
Date:
[1954]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical report / Colony and Protectorate of Kenya. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/76 (page 8)
    The Blood Bank continued under the care of the Matron and an average of 30 pints per month were taken. The donors in the vast majority of cases were Africans. Altogether, during the year 11,297 patients made use of the 660 beds in the hospital. Recognition by the Royal College of Surgeons of England The visitor from the College in 1954 was Sir Archibald Maclndoe, F.R.C.S. On his recommendation certain appointments have now been recognised for 10 years by the Royal College of Surgeons of England. These are: one post of Resident Surgical Officer to be held for a year, two posts of Senior, and two of Junior, House Surgeons, each to be held for a period of six months. Provincial and District Hospitals With funds made available by the Development Plan improvements and extensions were carried out to the fullest extent possible. Limitation was not so much the result of lack of funds as the physical incapacity of the Public Works Department and other contractors to build quickly enough. Shortage of staff pre¬ cluded the opening of any new hospitals, but it was possible to post a European Medical Officer to Kabarnet. The greatest crelit is due to the staffs of provincial and district hospitals, especially in the Central Province for carrying out ever increasing duties under conditions which required a combination of the virtues of patience and fortitude, and an ability to improvise and to decide which of the numerous matters calling for attention were the most important. Despite the difficulties experienced and the defection of certain members of the staff the morale throughout the Department w'as high. The following quoation from the report of the Senior Medical Officer, Nairobi, illustrates the improvement during the year: — “In June of this year a Kikuyu Resistance Group began to form round a Kikuyu doctor. They quietly collected round themselves men who could be trusted, and gradually information came in to them. By September they felt sufficiently sure of themselves to come into the open. A meeting was arranged with the District Commissioner and it was decided that part of this group should form a screening team in order to screen the remainder of the Kikuyu, Embu and Meru staff. A Chief came to live in the hospital quarters in order to give the screening authority and to see fair play. The screening went very well and more and more information came in covering activities from points as far away in distance as Nanyuki and Nakuru and in time as the Waruhiu murder. Many dangerous men, some the least suspected originally, were detained whilst no action was taken against others who gave sufficient accurate information. By the end of the year it was true to say that all Mau Mau activities amongst the Staff had come pretty well to an end. There were, however, many men who had confessed and had given a lot of useful information it is necessary to see how they will behave and a constant watch will be kept. During these screening activities and in the period leading up to them the resistance group created a more effective type of home guard than was possible earlier in the year. Not an incident took place in the lines without their being aware of it; frequently they had prior information.”