Suva Hospital
p. 67 · Read in the full issue
Scanty Accommodation at Suva Hospital Authorities Unable to Admit Measles Cases
From Our Own Correspondent SUVA, March 30.
FROM time to time in the Fiji Legisla tive Council, elected members have pressed the need of an infectious diseases block at the Colonial War Memorial Hos pital, and although the Government has been sympathetic, the old cry of “no money” has been raised on every occasion.
Within the last few weeks, the need has been once more demonstrated in no un certain manner. There has been an epi demic of measles among the Fijians, and the hospital authorities are refusing to admit any measles cases to the institution unless complications develop. The trouble with measles, to which the Fijians are par ticularly susceptible, is that when compli cations set in, it is usually too late for hospital treatment. Fortunately, there have been no deaths from the disease so far.
The Director of Medical Services (Dr. A.
H. B. Pearce) stated that cases could not be admitted, as the only isolation space % available at the hospital, two small rooms, was fully occupied. He pointed out that Fijians were now better educated in the matter of treating measles, and did not, as in the past, go plunging into the water as soon as they ran a temperature. This was the principal cause of the very heavy death roll in measles epidemics many years
ago, when the native population was deci mated.
That may be so, and it is also true that measles is not a very serious complaint, but the day may come when a really seri ous epidemic of some nature will break out, and then where will the health author ities be so far as isolation accommoda tion is concerned. At present large quar ters for native students of the Central Medical School are being erected in the hospital grounds. Certainly the School is doing wonderful work in the training of Native Medical Practitioners, but surely the need for proper isolation accommoda tion is more pressing than students’ quar ters.
Another vexed point in connection with the hospital is the matter of staffing.
Compared with hospitals of the same size in Australia and New Zealand, the institu tion is woefully understaffed, and as much was candidly admitted by the Government at the last session of the Legislative Coun cil. There have been constant staff changes recently, and young women who have re signed from the staff state that conditions of service are anything but pleasant.
The staff consists of 11 trained nurses, 13 trainees, and 20 Fijian girls (who are really ward maids) —a total of 40. There are 165 beds in the hospital, and according to New Zealand and English standards, there should be a staff of 64. These figures were given by Dr. Pearce at the last ses sion of the Council, and he stated that it was impossible to enlarge the staff until proper quarters were provided for the nurses. At present it was necessary for many of them to share rooms, not a very pleasant procedure in a tropical climate.
Under present conditions it is difficult to secure suitable candidates for positions in the hospital. Some time ago there was a waiting list for girl probationers, but Dr.
Pearce admitted that he had recently ad vertised for three probationers, and, after a long interval, had received only one application.
The health of the community is of para mount importance, and there is no doubt that there is room for a good deal of im provement in the hospital services of this Colony. The isolation ward is one of the most pressing of all problems.
Recently another example demonstrat ing the need for more hospital accommo dation came to light. An elderly Solomon Islander, who had become afflicted with a painful complaint, applied for admission to the hospital. It is stated that he was told that there was no room for him in the hospital, and he returned to his home at Nasese, where he died a few nights later.
Mr. John L. Froggatt, entomologist, of the Department of Agriculture, New Guinea, arrived in Sydney during March on nine months’ furlough. He left a few days later for Europe, with plans to spend most of his leave abroad in making him self acquainted with the latest develop ments and discoveries in his profession.