Printed papers on the political situation and military policy in Egypt [‎67v] (134/176)

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deficit. It has therefore become necessary to revise the quarantine dues, which have
not been increased for many years. The actual scale of fees was established over
sixty years ago, when the maximum tonnage of ships for taxation was fixed at
875 tons.
454. The Quarantine Board has given shelter to some 300 Russian, Armenian v
and Turkish refugees at its subsidiary quarantine station at El Shatt (Suez). At
the Gabbari Lazaret over 600 emigrants coming from Central Europe have been dis
infected. These emigrants were mostly Jews on their way to Palestine.
455. The quarantine stations which had been occupied by the-British military i
authorities, except at Kantara, have all been handed back to the board, and a grant
has been made by the military authorities towards the expenses of restoring them.
456. Large new lazarets are needed at Port Said and Suez and at Alexandria,
where, although the existing lazaret at Gabbari has been much improved, a more
modern establishment will eventually have to be built and equipped.
457. The pilgrimage from Egypt is still small, and in 1921 consisted, apart from
the escort of the Holy Carpet, of only 1,000 pilgrims . The pilgrimage from the
Soudan, however, has become normal again, and 4,000 Soudanese pilgrims passed
through the station at Suakim last year.
78. Health.
458. The reorganisation of the health services of the country, alluded to in my
report for 1920, has been somewhat delayed by the political excitements of the last
year. But the general recommendations of the recent Cadre Commission have fore
seen a reorganisation of the Health Administration, and have been based upon a
modified form of the scheme proposed by the commission which sat in 1918 to advise
on the future Organisation and work of the Public Health Department.
459. In Egypt, as in many other countries, there has been during the past few
years a progressive and serious increase in the habitual use of narcotic and
stupefacient drugs, particularly cocaine.
460. A law has been drafted, but is not yet promulgated, prohibiting the import
and export of these drugs except by special licence for each consignment. It is hoped
that this, combined with closer control over the local trade, will help to check the
spread of the drug habit. It is difficult, however, as long as the Capitulations exist,
to impose a sufficiently deterrent penalty applicable equally to Egyptians and
foreigners.
461. The budgetary provision for the health services of this country for 1921-22
was £E. 742,839 as compared with £E. 720,425 in 1920-21. This does not include
grants for repairs and new buildings, which are shown in the budget of the Ministry
of Public Works.
Hospitals.
462. Government hospitals now exist in the chief towns of the various pro
vinces, but these do not afford adequate relief for the sick in the more remote districts,
and should be supplemented by the provision of a smaller type of hospital in each
district or markaz. A general provision of such by the State, however, would impose
too great a financial burden upon the Government, and this local need must fall to
be met by local effort. As mentioned in last year’s report, evidence of an increasing
public interest in the provision of hospital treatment for the poor is shown by the
readiness of the prominent residents in many localities to give land and money to
provide hospitals and to help in collecting funds for their maintenance. The existing
economic and political conditions have stood in the way of full advantage being taken
of the interest thus shown, but it is in this direction that a solution of the problem
of the provision of adequate sick relief to the poor throughout the country is most
likely to be found.
463. Cairo is still without a lying-in hospital, but a maternity section has been
added to Kasr-el-Aini Hospital, where the poorer women of the city can be attended *
to, and where suitable provision can be made for the practical instruction of
Egyptian women who wish to take up the protession of midwifery.
464. As compared with the high standard of medical treatment in the Govern
ment hospitals, the provision made for nursing leaves much to be desired. The
attendants are, generally speaking, drawn from a low class, and are ignorant and
incapable of being properly trained. An attempt has been made to improve matters
bv the appointment of English nursing sisters to supervise the nursing, but this is