Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia.

  • Southern Rhodesia. Department of Health.
Date:
[1934]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report on the public health / Southern Rhodesia. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    23/44 (page 19)
    cent. The European recovery rate is slightly above normal. The native recovery rate is surprisingly high, and is unlikely to be repeated. Libera¬ tion on probation was allowed in ten cases. Two broke down and were returned to hospital before the completion of the probationary period. Three recovered and five have not yet completed probation. The general health of the hospital has been excellent. The diet has been further balanced and adjusted, with the result that the European patients have gained an average of 1.6 pounds, and the native patients an average of 5 pounds. The teeth of all the patients have been examined by the Govern¬ ment Dental Surgeon, who gave any treatment required by European patients. Revenue from paying patients amounted to £2,317 3s., and various sales to £78 9s. 4d. In addition, supplies from farm and garden to the hospital amounted in value to £757—total £3,152 12s. 4d. The total expenditure was £12,416. The net cost to the Government after deducting total revenue was Is. 6d. per patient per diem. CHAPTER IV.—HOSPITALS AND LABORATORIES. (1) Hospitals. In Southern Rhodesia the Government provide hospitals for the sick poor, and also for private patients who, in other countries, would receive less efficient service at a greater cost in proprietary nursing homes. Such an arrangement is most advantageous to the public, but necessarily adds considerably to the size and cost of Government hospitals. Expenditure on general hospitals, not including salaries of Government Medical Officers, was £107,623 in 1934. Revenue received was £31,160. The Government thus bore 71.5 per cent, of the cost. Of a total of 6,574 European patients only 1,650, or 25 per cent., were free patients. It is thus clear that the Government are bearing a very large proportion of the cost of treating paying patients. The year 1934 saw new records created both in the number of admis¬ sions to Government hospitals and in the number of outpatients attending. The admissions and outpatient attendances during recent years can be seen in the following tables:— Admissions. 1930. 1931. 1932. 1933. 1934. Europeans . Natives . ... 5,272 5,093 .. 8,180 7,466 5,369 7,924 5,822 10,057 6,264 10,727 13,452 12,559 13,293 15,879 16,991 Out-Patients. 1932. 1933. 1934. Europeans . Natives . 8,594 13,487 8,996 13,563 10,135 27,273 22,081 22,559 37,408 Salisbury Hospital. —There has been a general increase of work year. At 2,525 European admissions during the year this hospital shows an 8 per cent, increase on last year’s record number of admissions. Euro¬ pean outpatients numbered 4,234, an increase of 335 on last year. The total number of operations performed was 1,524, of which 425 were classed as major and 1,099 as minor. The corresponding figures for last year are 466 and 1,059. In the X-ray Department 1,347 cases were investigated, an increase of 125 cases as compared with last year. The native admissions were 1,757, which is a record, as also is the number of native outpatients at 4,633, an increase of 698 on last year’s figure. Plans are in progress for the construction of a new block to contain a new radiological department, an operating theatre suite, a physio-therapeutic department, and new casualty and outpatient accommodation. Memorial Hospital, Bulawayo.—The number of European admissions to the hospital is still continuing to rise, being 1,813 for the year, an increase of 74 on last year’s figure. The number of native admissions has also