Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Singapore.

  • Singapore. Medical Department
Date:
[1951]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Department / Colony of Singapore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    37/314 page 23
    Rotary presented Government some time ago with a very tine and modern clinic for the diagnosis and out-patient treatment of tuberculosis. This stands in the grounds of Tan Tock Seng Hospital and has satisfied a long felt need for what is to become the main centre for the institutional treatment of this condition in the Colony. Rotary’s gift may well be recorded as the first notable step in the accepted Medical Plan of the Colony. The Singapore Anti-Tuberculosis Association continues to run an important diagnostic treatment centre in the city well away from the Rotary Clinic. The present premises used for this purpose have become quite inadequate and the Association has plans well advanced for a new building which will relieve the present over-crowding and allow for a considerable expansion in the scope of the work performed. These efforts constitute a significant step in the history of Singapore’s advance towards the control of tuberculosis. The Tuberculosis Treatment Allowance Advisory Committee has taken those steps for the relief of the economic factor in tuberculosis without which any tuberculosis organisation must fail—a truth which has long been realised in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. This aspect of our problem will be discussed at greater length in the chapter dealing with this disease. The scheme for domiciliary relief was outlined originally in a paper entitled The Tuberculosis Policy for Singapore laid before the Legislative Council in 1948. Its successful implementation by the Committee under the auspices of the Department of Social Welfare has meant a great amount of hard work. This Committee is to be congratulated on what has been done in starting and carrying on this essential service. During the year discussions took place regarding the provision of a ‘Home’ for tuberculous destitute persons and for the chronic tuberculous patient. The Government Tuberculosis Board is strongly in favour of the provision of such a home to be set up by the Chinese community itself as the bulk of the people who would benefit by it would be Chinese. The Chinese Advisory Board has taken a very great interest in this project and it is hoped that its efforts will meet with early success. The Blood Transfusion Committee came into being early in 1949 to advise and to co-operate with the Director of Medical Services in this important field of medical endeavour. Partly through its efforts the number of donors, built up from 287 in 1946 to 1,622 in 1948 and 2,946 in 1949, rose to over 3,500 in 1950 and 1951. The increasing number of Chinese donors is also a significant achievement in view of the local apathy to this form of voluntary effort. The Committee rejected the idea of paid donors and concentrated on obtaining new candidates through increased publicity and the distribution of certificates, with suitable badges for further gifts of blood. Silver medals were presented during the year to 12 donors who gave over ten gifts of blood. Propaganda by means of seasonal greeting cards, posters, and at the Safety First and Trade Exhibitions, helped to keep the needs of this vital service before the public. It has to be remembered how¬ ever that while publicity campaigns have their value, what is really required is a sustained effort to obtain donor recruits. The work of the St. John Ambulance Association and Brigade continued to expand. The number of First Aid Classes held and examinations conducted under the auspices of the Association was more than doubled over the period of this report. It was found necessary to restrict the number of men enrolled in the Brigade to some 1,200. On the other hand there are vacancies for women in the Nursing Divisions which still total less than 300. Once again the public gave generous support to the annual Flag Day and associated functions, and in all nearly $20,000 was collected during the year. The
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