[?]Apia Hospital

[?]Is Not Well

CRTS from Western Samoa dicate growing public concern out conditions in the Govern- Hospital, Apia, resulting from ite shortage of qualified Euro staff, and, it appears, pro sd internal disharmony, ic Indignation reached a new ecently when a pack of Apia were found disputing the >hip of an amputated leg, in fer the incinerator (see else this issue). spectacular incident was, it s, just one of many recent ;ions of inadequate control of )ia Hospital. internal disharmony is said 3 developed in 1955 as a result ferences between the then >r of Health, Dr. T. C. Lonie, le team of Native Medical ioners in the Western Samoa 1 service. loss of two senior officers, Dr. s and Mr. Hodgkinson, the ,1 pharmacist, in the ill-fated in October last, and the )f Dr. Welch in February, has ly hampered the efforts of laining four European doctors 3 disgruntled NMP’s to main e service expected of them.

Dr. Lonie resigned recently to take up a new appointment with the South Pacific Commission. (See elsewhere).

Dr. Jepson, Public Health Officer, is at present acting as Director of Health, and his only qualified medical assistance at present comes from Dr. H. Thieme, Dr. Joy Purser (temporary), and Dr. Stevens (re lieving) .

In the interests of the health of some 100,000 people, Samoan leaders have asked the NZ Government to take immediate steps to re-organise Western Samoa’s medical service

and to staff the Apia hospital adequately. t The supply of “bottled gas” for the use of cooking stoves, lighting, etc., in isolated places, is now be coming serious business. Most oil refineries now hold this gas (hitherto a waste) and put in into metal cylinders under great pressure. A cylinder will last for a long time.

A company called Shaw Industries Pty. Ltd., NSW, has been registered in Sydney, and an offshoot of this Co., called Readygas (Fiji) Ltd., with Mr. Ray Steele as local director, has been registered in Suva.