Rising Cost of Fiji
p. 76 · Read in the full issue
Health Service
Suva, Nov. 27.
rE cost of Fiji’s medical service has trebled in the last 13 years, rising from 8/0.77d. a head in 1936 to 24/4.49d. a head in 1948.
During 1948, gross expenditure totalled £351,764; revenue totalled £21,545, and net expenditure £330,219.
Rising costs of drugs, equipment and feeding of patients are responsible for the increase.
The Medical Department’s statistics show that the five main hospitals (Suva, Lautoka, Levuka, Labasa and Tamavua) cared for more Indian in-patients in 1948 than patients for all other races com bined. Indian patients numbered 5,497 and others totalled 4,670 (710 Europeans and part-Europeans, 3,196 Fijians, 764 Chinese and others).
Out-patients at Suva, the three district hospitals, Tamavua, the 14 rural hospitals and the 36 rural dispensaries totalled 330,806. Fijians were in a majority with a total of 200,624, but almost half this total was accounted for by the rural dis pensaries. European out-patients num bered 15,245, Indian 105,472 and Chinese and others 9,465.