J&~°r~:Q

Medical and Dental and Public Health The staff at 31st March, 1946, consisted of one European medical officer, one Native medical practitioner (on loan from Western Samoa), one European matron, one European District Nurse, three Niuean nurses, and two Niuean dental officers. All medical and dental treatment, including hospitalization, is provided free of charge to Natives. The following is a comparative table showing amounts expended on health services over the last five financial years :

A summary of the work performed at the hospital and during the weekly and other visits to villages is set Out below

On 30th June, 1945, a visit was paid to Niue by a party of medical officers, including Dr. M. H. Watt, Director-General of Health, and Dr. J. C. R. Buchanan, InspectorGeneral of South Pacific Medical Services. A complete tour of the island was made, and the party inspected medical facilities and Native living conditions and discussed local health problems.

20

— 1941-42. 1942-43. 1943-44. 1944-45. 1945-46. Amount expended Population Amount per head of population £3,050 4,468 13s. 8d. £3,755 4,434 16s. lid. £3,900 4,242 18s. 5d. £3,656 4.200 17s. 5d. £5,305 4,289 £1 4s. 9d.

— 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. (1) Infectious diseases— (a) Tuberculosis 20 30 28 11 26 (b) Gonorrhoea 21 45 107 21 44 (c) Yaws 905 939 863 713 1,038 (d) Pneumonia and 4 7 178 25 29 broncho-pneumonia (e) Conjunctivitis 103 128 156 17 104 (/) Ringworm 109 133 418 37 146 (g) Varicella 2 7 16 1 25 (h) Typhoid 1 27 33 15 ]3 (i) Leprosy .. 2 2 2 1 1 (j) Infectious jaundice 78 112 (k) Puerperal fever .. 3 (I) Intestinal parasites 150 (m) Scabies 166 (2) Endemic diseases— (a) Filariasis Very prevalent Very prevalent Very prevalent 207 181 (6) Myositis tropica .. 6 3 10 6 6 (3) Hospital and dispensary—Admissions for year .. 173 118 116 76 71 Average number of days 28-98 123-39 32-5 28 11-29 in hospital per patient Daily average bed state 13-94 39-88 9-95 8-13 4-55 District out-patients .. 19,814 21,422 29,062 29,811 | 23,024 Dispensary out-patients 2,794 2,365 1,802 2,984 Special visits 613 1,661 4,421 2,124 2,205 Operations 30 10 Nil 75 369 Dental extractions 131 136 134 130 221 Injections, N.A.B., 4,527 3,869 10,159 844 4,301 T.A.B., &c. Confinements 23 15 18 23 20 Anaesthetics-^ General 23 8 10 2 Local 116 120 220 149 315