Samoa Needs Medical
p. 82 · Read in the full issue
Officers
IN spite of advertising and other efforts to attract medical men from New Zealand to enter the Administration medical service in Western Samoa, it has been impossible to obtain additional medical officers.
After the retirement of the forme?
Chief Medical Officer. Dr. P. J. Monaghan, in June, only two medical officers remain at the Government Hospital, Apia, serv ing the needs of a European and native population of over 70.000. Under the German Administration, ud to 1914, there was one Government medical officer and four private practitioners serving approxi mately half the population. In Eastern (American) Samoa there are six US Navy doctors for a population of some 12 000 people.
The solution seems to be for the Admin istration to allow private practitioners from overseas to open practice. The prospects for good medical men in the Territory are bright. So far. the Admin istration had been inclined to discourage private practitioners.
Western Samoa would be much worse off if it were not for a number of very efficient native medical practitioners 'NMP's), particularly in the “outside” dis tricts of Upolu and Savaii, who acquired medical knowledge at Suva Medical School and are capable and trustworthy, besides being conversant with the Samoan way of thinking, and enjoying the con fidence of their patients.
It is likely that a New Caledonian cycling champion, Narcisse Bernanos, will participate in the more important Aus tralian races when the cycling season starts in October. Cycling is as popular in New Caledonia as it is in France, and Noumeans are proud of their Velodrome back of Anse Vata beach.