Page 113 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

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Total Staff recruited were 5 doctors, 20 nurses (male and female) and one compounder.
The British Staff was augmented by four : Dr. Shannon, as assistant to Dr. Doeg ; Dr.
Ward, as Medical Officer in the Men’s Hospitals ; Sister Weymes, Senior Health Sister for
district work ; and Sister Osborne, to supervise the Women’s Hospital, as a replacement for
Sister Harris, who, having served her contract, left to be married.
Miss Harris was a great loss. Her sympathy with Arab patients and her administrative
ability were of a high order, and her resignation was much regretted.

(5) Major Health Trends. Again there were no epidemics. Plague and Cholera have not
been seen for 30 years, and Smallpox for at least 3 years. Vaccination and port control have
been responsible for this very satisfactory state of affairs. These three diseases are still a
problem in the major ports of India and the Far East.

Malaria declines annually, and is being increasingly brought under control.
Trachoma, which used to show an incidence of 7.5 per cent, of all patients seen, diminishes
annually and is now 3 per cent. The modern generation is learning care of eyes chiefly through
the influence of the schools which absorbs nearly 10 per cent, of the population.
Road and Building accidents increase annually.

Respiratory Disease is the most prevalent.
Various forms of Broncho-Pneumonia, Pneumonitis and Virus disease are prominent,
also Asthma. Many of them are preventable by the exercise of greater care in this continually
changing climate. The old Pneumonia is not commonly seen now.
Venereal Disease in its acute infectious stages is not nearly so evident.
Dysentery in its Amoebic and Bacillary forms, is still not easy to eradicate. Until better
sanitary control is forthcoming, this will remain.

(6) The Annual Persian Gulf Medical Society had their conferences in December as usual,
the 1953 one under the auspices of the Arabian American Oil Co., in Dhahran, and the 1954
one in Bahrain, the third to be held here. Both sessions had about 60 delegates, and one or
two special outside speakers took part. In 1953 they were, Dr. Snyder, who came over from
the United States to discuss the research of the Public Health programme at the Harvard
School, relating to major health problems in the Middle East ; and two doctors from Beirut,
Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Jidejian, who gave two unusually interesting surgical papers on
Leishmaniasis and Hydatid Disease. The 1954 speaker was Dr. Hoefnagels, the W.H.O.
expert on Tuberculosis, who is attached to Teheran as T.B. adviser. These annual sessions
arc now well established in rota between Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and it is owing
to the kindness and generosity of the Governments and the Oil Companies, that they can take
place at all. The programme improves annually ; the value of them is reflected in the exchange
of medical approaches to problems of the Middle East, and the interchange of ideas and outlook.
Conclusion.
A good year of health.
Average hot weather.
Heat Exhaustion and fatigue practically only confined to ships’ personnel, and they were
not serious.