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REPORT ON THE WORK OF HARTS SANATORIUM FOR 1941.
PREFACE.
During the year the work of the Sanatorium continued along the
linos detailed in the Report of 1940, The chief difficulty has
been shortage of beds as the forty-three, beds available have not
been sufficient to cape quickly with the waiting list of patients.
The New Pavilion Ward will be restored during the present year.
When ready for use, it is the intention to remove the patients from
the old dining hall, now in use as a male ward, and also from the
two rooms in the administrative block, thus facilitating the
structural alterations still required in that building. The total
number of beds then available for the treatment of tuberculous
patients will be sixty-two a welcome increase of nineteen.
Towards the end of the year under review, routine dental
inspection and treatment became an established part of the
Sanatorium regime.
In reviewing the cases admitted to the Sanatorium during last
year, one is perturbed to find a definite increase of patients,
particularly girls and young women, who come within the age group
of 15 - 25 years. Unfortunately, too many of these are cases of
acute adolescent phthisis and have advanced disease with often a
hopeless prognosis. Out of sixteen deaths from pulmonary
tuberculosis, ten were in this age group, five male and five female.
Dr. Percy Stocks- Medical Statistical Officer, has shown that
deaths from tuberculosis have increased during the past two years.
He is of the opinion that "the increased mortality is due to the
additional stresses, physical and psychological, imposed by war
conditions and that these have proved too much for many patients
already ill with phuntsis, so that they have died in 1940 or 1941
before they otherwise would have done."
In view of the fact that an increase in deaths has begun to
show itself, it is reasonable to anticipate an increased incidence
in the number of cases and for this reason we welcome the policy
advocated by the National Association for the Prevention of
Tuberculosis for the introduction of Mass Radiography of the chest.
To prevent the disease in future it is essential to discover cases
of symptomless pulmonary tuberculosis in their early stages, before
they have become advanced and infectious to others.
STATISTICS.
Discharges including deaths 124
Deaths 16 (8M. 8F.)
Insured Patients 108 (69M. 39F.)
Non-insured Patients 16 (5M. 11F.)
Number of Bed available at end of
year 43
Average number of beds occupied 40 (93.00%)
Admission by Ambulance 69 (37M. 32F.)
From Hospitals 37 (19M. 18F.)
From Home 32 (18M. 14F.)
28.