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60
be at least six single bedded wards of appropriate size (floor
space) and that no ward with the exception of the ante-natal
section should contain more than four beds.
A nursery of appropriate size (floor space) should be
provided to take all the babies at night and there should be
four first stage rooms, four delivery rooms together with a
sterilising room and a.sluice room. One of the delivery rooms
may well be made larger and fitted up as an operating theatre.
Adjoining the reception centre should be the ante-natal clinic
with a separate entrance, waiting rooms and preparation rooms,
etc. There should also be a small hand laundry for the infants
napkins and garments.
Finally I would suggest that the siting of the institution
is important. It should not be in a noisy neighbourhood, it
must not be too far from the main transport facilities, it should
be planned so as to be capable of additional expansion which I
think suggests a semi-permanent type of construction as well
as an adequate acreage. If it is also possible to give a pleasant
view and surroundings I believe that the mothers would
appreciate it.
Infectious Diseases Hospital.
The Fever Hospital Medical Service Group of the Society
of Medical Officers of Health printed in 1948 recommendations
with regard to planning the fever hospital service.
There has been much discussion on the possibility of
combining general and fever hospitals, and this has arisen partly
from the desire to eliminate small fever hospitals, and partly
from the experience of some hospitals which, admitting only
fever cases in pre-war days, are now functioning as combined
general and fever hospitals under the emergency medical
service.
If the requirements of an area justify a fever hospital of
economic size, the weight of opinion is distinctly in favour of
such a hospital continuing to discharge its pre-war function,
or largely so. In many respects the function of the fever
hospitals is too limited in its scope. Acute infectious diseases,
not uniformly admissible at present, such as for example
measles, whooping cough, enteritis of childhood, streptococcal
sore throat and acute primary pneumonia, should be made so.
It is recommended that the minimum size of an effective
fever hospital appears to lie at, or about, 200 beds, but as far
as existing hospitals are concerned it would probably be
justifiable to preserve those maintaining an average ;daily