Page 248 - Bahrain Gov annual reports (V a)_Neat

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WOMEN’S HOSPITALS AND STATISTICS
(Report by Doctor I. M. A. Doeg, Lady Medical Officer)

The outstanding feature in the health picture of the women and children of the Island is
the very frequent occurrence of extremely severe anaemia and malnutrition. This is not so
apparent from the statistics because the patients come complaining of other diseases and so
are counted under other headings.

It is commonplace to have women coming to Hospital for delivery with a Haemoglobin
percentage of 20—30. So too, in the case of patients admitted for various conditions both
medical and surgical, a large percentage are also grossly anaemic. Some years ago when
Malaria was prevalent much of the anaemia was considered to be secondary to that disease,
but now the incidence of malaria is comparatively slight but anaemia, nutritional in type, is
wide-spread.

I am told that severe anaemia is not so prevalent amongst the men, who presumably are
better nourished.

This is an economic problem and requires urgent attention, as anaemic unhealthy mothers
breed anaemic unhealthy children.

To meet these cases the Hospital has begun a blood transfusion service—many Europeans
have donated blood for use in severe cases and some of the Arabs give blood for their relations
but this is not always so, and they often refuse blood, however, it is certainly now more
frequent for them to agree than it was a year or two ago.

The death rate amongst in-patients is 4.1 per cent. This includes cases brought to hospital
already moribund.

The greatest toll is taken by Diarrhoea in infants and next by extremely severe burn cases
of whom 50 per cent die. This figure is not surprising as the burns usually are deep and involving
more than 75 percent of the total body surface. The majority are caused by primus stoves.

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A detailed analysis of the diseases and results of treatment follows:—

Adults Children
NewCases .. .. 10,863 9,938
Return Cases .. 24,006 23,743

Totals .. 34,869 .. 33,681

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