Coll 30/9 'Persian Gulf: Administration Reports 1926-1938' [‎384v] (773/1028)

APPENDIX I.
Note on the working of the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Dispensary, Bushire, for the year 1929
Lieutenant-Colonel A. N. Dickson, M.C., was in charge from January
1st to November 7th, 1929, on which date, prior to proceeding on leave he
handed over to Major H. J. H. Symons, M.C., I.M.S., who held charge until the
end of the year.
Assistant Surgeon M. L. A. Steele, I.M.D., was in sub-charge of the dis
pensary throughout the year and Jemedar Mohammed Ali Najmi was in sub
charge of the Out-patient Department throughout the year.
The number of patients admitted as in-patients after February 9th was 54
and the number of out-patient attendances during the same period was 9 230*
It is valueless to make any comparison of these figures with those of the previous
year as the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Dispensary was removed from the Bushire Charitable
Hospital to the Town Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. at the beginning of February and its statistics
in previous years were always included in those of the larger institution. Con
sequently from February 9th onwards the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Dispensary dealt only with
the sick of the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Staff and their families, the employees and their fami
lies of the Imperial Bank of Persia and the three European firms, the Mesopo
tamia Persia Corporation, Messrs. Ziegler and Company and Messrs. A. and
T. J. Malcolm.
The disease causing the greatest number of attendances was Malaria, the
most prevalent local cause of illness.
In September 1928 the Rais-i-Malieh, at that time the Acting Governor of
Bushire, verbally informed the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon that the Charitable Hospital
should be handed over to the Persian authorities and shortly afterwards the
Customs Department withdrew their contribution to the Hospital and directed
those of their employees who fell sick to go to a Dispensary which had been
instituted in the Customs House and which was staffed by Persian Doctors.
Shortly after this the Post Office and Finance Department withdrew their con
tribution and their sick in a similar manner.
The Shahi voluntary tax which was the source of 50 per cent, of the
Hospital’s income had been systematically underlevied for some time and was
not paid at all during the last three months of 1928.
There is no doubt that this was part of a system to cause embarrassment to
the British connection with the Hospital and with bankruptcy impending and
after some two months correspondence the British connection with the Charit
able Hospital which had extended over a period of some 60 years was finally
severed on February 9th at a general meeting of the Committee under the chair
manship of Sir Frederick Johnston, at which the Committee accepted the resigna
tions of the Consul-General as President and the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon as Secre
tary.
The medical charge thereupon devolved on Dr. Bahrami, the Persian Chief
Quarantine Medical Officer.
At present Dr. Bahrami and his Assistant Dr. Ali Khan carry out the medical
work. At one visit paid by the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Surgeon (in January 1930) at the
request of the Governor of Bushire and in the absence on tour of Dr. Bahrami,
it was noted that the Hospital was not conspicuously clean and that Dr. Ali
Khan’s learning was not of a very high order, in fact not even of mediocre
standard.
Considerable alterations and repairs have recently been carried out and
externally, at any rate, the appearance of the Hospital has improved.
On the withdrawal of the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Dispensary to the Town Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. from
the Charitable Hospital the stock of medicines and surgical equipment was
divided into two halves, one-half of which was removed to the Residency An office of the East India Company and, later, of the British Raj, established in the provinces and regions considered part of, or under the influence of, British India. Dis
pensary. The operating theatre equipment is thus very incomplete and there
is little with which to deal with any serious emergency. Application has been*
made for essential instruments and it is hoped that the sum asked for will be
forthcoming during 1930.