Annual report on the medical services / Sierra Leone.

  • Sierra Leone. Medical Department.
Date:
[1954]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the medical services / Sierra Leone. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    1 certified Midwife, and Health Inspector; these will for the present, all be members of the Government Medical Department, assigned for duty to local authorities. Certain lower-grade staff such as Health Overseers and the new Village Maternity Assistants mentioned below in paragraph 55, will be recruited and employed direct by the Native Authorities. 5. With ever increasing expansion of activity, the perennial problem of shortage of staff, particularly of Medical Officers, continues to cause concern. Though services have been maintained, and indeed, increased, this has led to a very heavy load of clinical work being placed upon some officers, a load which has been most willingly and loyally accepted. Eight Medical Officers left the Service either through resignation, transfer, or being invalided, and only 6 were recruited. There are at present 27 Medical Officers in a total establishment of 38, with 11 vacancies. Three Government scholars are due to take up appointments next year and a possible 3 private scholars, all Sierra Leoneansi; but 3 Medical Officers have already signified their intention to resign early next year. At the end of 1955, therefore, without the recruitment of expatriates, the position may still not be improved, and may become worse owing to the opening of new hospitals and Health Centres which are now being built. 6. In addition to the shortage of Medical Officers, the Department has suffered a heavy loss of senior staff, the Physician Specialist, Dr. P. C. Cosgrove and Senior Pathologist, Dr. J. D. Reid, have left and have not yet been replaced, and the Deputy Director, Dr. A. J. Johnson, has retired. The Director and the Senior Surgical Specialist will be retiring next year. The post of Pathologist which remained vacant for a long period was filled this year, but the officer has now resigned. 7. This serious staff position is occurring at a time when the original development plan for medical services is reaching its completion—at least as regards its building programme. Three new hospitals are already under construction at Kenema, Magburaka and Kono under Colonial Development and Welfare Scheme No. D1994. Magburaka is nearing completion. Building of the remaining hospital under this scheme, at Lungi, is about to start. Construction of another hospital at Kambia under Scheme D 2982 is also expected soon, and extensions to two hospitals at Port Toko and Moyamba will be made in 1955. Reference is made below to increased accommodation for tuberculosis and possible developments in maternity. In addition 8 of the 22 proposed Health Centres have been completed and the remainder should be finished within the next 18 months to 2 years. It is clear that the next 1 to 2 years will be most critical, for without considerable reinforcement, medical staff will be strained beyond capacity. Even with adequate reinforcement the considerable losses of experienced officers over the last few years means that staff will probably be comparatively young and inexperienced. 8. During the year a committee appointed to report on the salaries of Medical Officers holding clinic posts and the question of private practice made its report, which was accepted by Government. The salaries were considered in relation to the Sinker Report made in the previous year for the rest of the Civil Service, and the salaries recommended fall into line with the Sinker recommendations. They are a little less than those at present paid in Nigeria. Private practice is prohibited inside Government medical units, but there are considerable concessions for surgeons and dentists, and for consultant practice. Private practice is allowed outside Government units. 9. Of the whole strength of 34 medical practitioners employed both as temporary and permanent staff within the Department, 19 are Sierra Leoneans ; that is more than half the medical strength of the service, including senior and administrative posts. One medical officer obtained the D.T.M. & H. after study leave.