Page 241 - Bahrain Gov annual reports(V)_Neat

7
DIVING SEASON, 1374.
There is little to say about the diving season of 1955 except that the quantity of pearls
which were found was larger than in the previous year. Prices remained stationary but the
amounts which were earned by divers and pullers were considerably higher than in the previous
season, the average earnings of a diver was Rs. 1,008/- and of a puller Rs. 672/- for the diving
season of four months and ten days.
Pearl prices were as follows:— Rs. Rs.
Shirecn 100/- to 120/- per Chow
Na’eem (Seed) 60/- „ 65/- „ „
Gholwah .. 35/- „ 40/- „ „
Badlah 10/-„ 12/- „ „

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
(Report by Dr. R. H. B. Snow, M.B.E., Senior Medical Officer)
General Review. This has proved to be our busiest year with expansion on all sides and
improved methods of dealing with the great increase of outpatients and inpatients in buildings
which are beginning to be inadequate to meet the demand for treatment. In addition, the
daily outside clinics and medical visiting and inspections arc proving more exacting and time
consuming. These are the Isolation, Police, T.B., and Mental sections. Again, the village work
has been stepped up and doubled its numbers. Based on Rifaa and the main hospital, mobile
units visit 16 main village areas usually twice a week with daily clinics at the two Rifaas.
This again involves a wide overspread of valuable key staff and maintenance of the transport
service.
There has been a great upsurge of feeling for reforms in the medical department to raise
the standard of its personnel and the quality of its work and to increase its activities. An enquiry
Committee appointed to raise these relevant questions summarised a list of reforms, some of
which were sound and put into action, while others lacked the technical knowledge and back­
ground of medical organisation. It was fortunate that several distinguished visiting medical
experts were glad to tender their advice over many besetting problems and to give guidance
to the Committee accordingly. Broadly speaking the present medical services for the whole
Island are equivalent to a County health service administration with one main base hospital,
a few outside ancillary units, a Medical Officer of Health, and general practitioner services.
It has not been easy to steer a level course and to assess a right judgement over these reforms
which, though in great measure are good, cannot, however, be realised in a moment of time.
Also buildings need to be erected which is a slow process and an expensive outlay.
Great efforts have been made to recruit nurses and doctors from the Middle East countries.
The Matron, Miss Maguire, carried out a three weeks’ tour of inspection of the nursing services
of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan and U.N.W.R.A. Training schools for nurses were found
to be almost non-existent except in a few instances. Those applying for posts have only a
smattering of training, demand high salaries, and are hardly worth recruiting. Two have been
brought in on trial. Doctors are more plentiful but few have the right motives or ideas of service
in a foreign country as has been said before. One has been recruited after much sorting out of
applicants. Perhaps, however, we have succeeded more than most other hospitals in securing
from many countries a useful general addition of key staff.
Looking over the statistics which follow, one is impressed with the high incidence of
respiratory infection, chiefly of the broncho- and typical pneumonic varieties, which heads the
list of all predominating disease, both in the towns and villages. There is not a high mortality
but it is highly debilitating. The greatest mortality is from industrial accidents. These
together with road accidents are increasing alarmingly annually, the total number in Manama
and Muharraq now mustering 3,869. The majority of these mishaps need never happen and are
due to a variety of causes and hazards which call for more stringent measures and rules. Septic
conditions are common due largely to the humidity. Ophthalmia is a perennial menace needing
more intensive invigilation and prophylazis especially in the homes and schools. On the other
hand Malaria has dwindled to the lowest figures ever achieved both in towns and villages and
is a reflection of the successful measures of the Public Health Department and the Bahrain
Petroleum Company which work in unison over the whole Island. Venereal disease is satis­
factorily low largely due to modern treatment which prevents secondary stages ever being
reached. Pulmonary T.B. both in town and country is also not such a menace as formerly
because of the consciousness of the people, improved modern drugs, and the absence of the
foreigners who used to come to Bahrain with advanced infection and who are now hardly
ever seen.