Report of the Director of Medical Services / British Guiana.

  • British Guiana. Medical Department.
Date:
[1958]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Report of the Director of Medical Services / British Guiana. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    7/100
    Shortage of Medical Staff - Out of an approved complement of 1|3 general duty medical officers only 30 were appointed, and out of an approved number of 6 interns at the Georgetown Hospital, only 3 were available at any time. Ten medical officers, including two specialists, resigned from the service during the year. There is very definite discontent amongst specialist officers and medical staff attached to Institutions as regards their present .emoluments* Vital Statistics - In 1958, the Infant Mortality rate per 1,000 live births was 62.8, and the Crude Death Rate was 10,5 per 1,000 population, Para, Poliomyelitis - No cases of this disease were reported, compared with 100 cases in the previous year. It is planned to introduce vaccination of the population at risk against tills disease in 1959* The method proposed is the oral attenuated vaccine. Para. Paras 11 Typhoid « The number of notifications of tliis dieaase was 34.22, There was a small out-break in the C hristianburg-Wismar Area due to polluted water supplies. There is a possibility that with the assistance of the Colonial Medical Research Committee some research work may be undertaken in 1959 in assessing the value of typhoid inoculations in rural areas. Para, Tuberculosis - Due tu the implementation of new proposals, the waiting list for admission to the Best Sanatorium has'been reduced from a previous 500 to nil. This lias been accomplished by admitting patients to hospital for a short course of intensive treatment to make them non-infectious and to educate them about their disease. These patients on discharge from hospital are treated as ambulatory cases at the out-patient clinics, A surgeon is at present under¬ going training in chest surgery for future Paras work in the Colony, 28, 9, 10 & 12. 18. 21, 22 27 &