Annual medical report / East Africa Protectorate.

  • East Africa Protectorate. Medical Department.
Date:
[1917]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual medical report / East Africa Protectorate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/82 (page 44)
    V- HOSPITA LS, DISPENSARIES AND INSTITUTIONS. 1.—EUROPEAN HOSPITALS AT NAIROBI AND MOMBASA. The European Hospital at Nairobi was closed down as a military unit at the end of December, 1916—the first beginning of the gradual demobilisation of the military responsibilities borne by the medical department during the war. In Mombasa the Protectorate hospital reverted to civil in October, 1917, it having been up till then the officers’ ward. Here the military and naval annexe still remained, under the control of Captain F. L. Henderson, E.A.M.S. The comparison table of admissions and deaths for the two hospitals is as follows :— TABLE SHOWING ADMISSION AND DEATH RATES. 1917 1916. 1915. Total number of beds ... 24 24 29 Total number treated ... 269 192 340 Total number discharged 247 176 321 Total number of deaths 11 8 10 Total number remaining 11 8 9 The military work at Mombasa involved the admission of 244 officers up to October, while in the British Base Hospital (the annexe) there were admitted 353 officers and 2,381 rank and file during the year, which included a large number of wounded. The greater number of these cases were transfers. Of the total civil cases treated in hospital 104 were officials and the remaining 165 drawn from the general European population ; thus the percentage use of the hospital was :— Officials .. .. .. .. .. .. 39% General population .. .. .. .. 61% The total out-patients who came under the observation of the medical officers were :— Government officials .. .. .. .. 116 General population .. .. .. .. 164 Administration.—At Nairobi, Dr. H. F. Hamilton, of the W.A.M.S., was in charge for practically the whole year, with a nursing staff of one matron and three sisters, later reinforced by two Y.A.D. probationers. It was necessary to withdraw one of the sisters for duty in the plague wards of the quarantine camp for a fortnight. At Mombasa, Captain F. L. Henderson, E.A.M.S., was in charge continuously with one senior nursing sister and two sisters. Mortality.—Nairobi admitted 188 persons, a very considerable drop from previous years, due to the withdrawal of military cases. There were nine deaths in all, two of whom were officials, their deaths being due to pneumonia and V.D. of heart; and seven amongst the general population, the causes being malaria, para¬ typhoid, meningitis, V.D.H., empyema, ascites and carcinoma.