CO129-534-3 Report of Retrenchment Commission 4-5-1931 - 19-2-1932 — Page 127

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT REPORT.

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After most careful consideration the Commissioners feel

unable to recommend any reduction in this department.

Considering the density of the population, probably higher

than in any other city in the world, it would seem that if

anything too little public health work is done. At most they

recommend that the extensive schemes at any rate so far as

regards those involving the expenditure of extra money for

reorganizing the Medical and Sanitary Services be deferred

until more prosperous times. It is only two years since a

medical man, the Hon. Dr. Wellington, was brought to the

Colony for the specific purpose of reorganization. And it is

still more recently that the first fundamental step towards

the stamping out of malaria was taken by the appointment of a

Malariologist. The Commissioners hesitate to recommend that

the post should be abolished.

2. The Medical Department has for some years past employed Chinese as medical officers. This practice should be

extended to the Bacteriologist's and the Government Analyst's sub departments. At both only the head should be an European. The assistants, one at the former office and three at the

latter, should be replaced by Chinese. The substitution of Chinese for European Nursing Sisters should be pushed on as rapidly as suitable local recruits are obtainable.

3. In addition there are certain steps that can and should be taken whereby the Colony would receive better value than it does at present for the money spent on public health, without in any way increasing expenditure.

And that is by

greater co-ordination between the various medico public health

authorities. There are the Government medical service, the

private practitioners, the University, the Chinese hospitals