Annual report of the Medical and Health Department / Colony of Seychelles.

  • Seychelles. Medical and Health Department.
Date:
[1944]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Annual report of the Medical and Health Department / Colony of Seychelles. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Medical and Sanitary Expenditure. The estimated expenditure for 1944 was : — Personal Emoluments Other Charges E 72,876 76,790 Total Es. H9,t'66 The actual expenditure was '— Personal Emoluments Es. 66,760 73 Other charges Es. 68,147 64 Total Es. 134,908 37 * _ II. PUBLIC HEALTH GENEEAL EEMAEKS; 9 he general 1 ealth of the population was fairly good. An epidemic of influenza often- •complicated lav broncho-pneumonia, T:r( Ice out early in the year and towards the end of the year there was a coi siderable increase in the number of cases of dysentery and diarrhoea. The influenza epidemic broke out at first amongst the Pioneers. At this time the-; Military Hospital was rot ready and ti e worst cases were taken into the Civil Hospital. Very scon Chilian eases began to pour in and this institution became over ciowded. An emergency Military Hospital was therefore established in a permanent building at Mamelles 2 miles out cf Victoria. Staff j.roved a difficulty. Fortunately at this time Capt.Curran E.A.A.M.C. arrived but without nursing staff and with only a minimum of drugs and equipment. Lady Logan and Mrs. Meade a trained nurse, the wife of a 0 & W official, ctire 1o tire rescue with a slaff of local girls who had received some training in 1st Aid aid Borne Nursing as Girl Guides. 'Jhey rem ered yjoman service. Drugs and equipment were sup] lied from the Civil h ospital on a lease lend basis and two of the local hospital nurses were lent lor the duration of the epioemic. Altogl etl er 85 cases of influenza were treated in the emergency hospital writh one 4leath. At the Sej clrelles Ecsq ital ard other Government Dispensaries during the same time 75 eases ol n fluei za and bioi.chc-pnennunia were heated with no death, n any other cases ^vere treated in their own tomes. Lyttnury end Lwnhao lot1 aid 310 cases of dysentery (amoebic) were treated as in ai d cut } atients respectively at Seychelles Hospital ard 93 and 453 cases are recorded nuclei the headings enteritis, gastrc-ent< ritis and diarrhoea. 1 have little doubt that had it leen possible to carry out mocern bacterioh gical tests some of these cases would have ^pioved to he bacillary dysentery, Tluse diseases were especially prevalent in and around Tic-toria in the last quarter of the year and tonciced with a period of heavy rain following a relative drought. 4 he following table shows the number of cases of Dysentery, Diarrhoea and Enteiifis titafed at Government hospitals and dispensaries during the past 4 years (figuies in backets signify dealbs in Hospital). 1941 1942 1943 1944 Hospital Disp. Hospital. Disp. Hospital. Disp. Hospital. Disp. Dysentery 100 (1) Diarrhoea 312 97 (1) 160 130(2) 208 132 (5) 416 Enteritis 57 (1) 336 62 275 67 (2) 524 91 (3) 413 #tc. It must be remembered that only cases treated at Government Hospitals and dispensaries are shown and that in 1941 and 1942 a number of cases not recorded will hive been seen by jprivate doctors. A marked decrease in the incidence of these diseases can be expected only when the general sanitation of the township of Victoria and other centres of population has been ipojnpletely over hauled and put on a modern footing. This must await the arrival of the Civil ^Engineer. HOSPITAL AND D1SPENSAETES. The number of cases treated at the Seychelles Hosprifal and outlying dispensaries was:— In-patierts ; Seychelles Hospital and Maternity Section 2,547 Cottage Hospital Praslin 107 Total 2,654 i