WELFARE DEPARTMENTS

THE medical DEPARTMENT.

MEDICAL.

ORGANIZATION.

THE MEDICAL ORGANISATION IN THE DISTRICT IS essentially a hospital organisation designed to render medical relief to the general population.

The Civil Hospital, Ratnagiri, is the main Government Hospital at the headquarters. It is owned, staffed, financed and controlled by Government. There are also two other hospitals owned by Govern- ment at the headquarters, viz Mental Hospital and the Sir, D. M. P. Leprosy Hospital. There are a number of Government aided dispensaries which are scattered throughout the district. The aided dispensaries are mostly owned and managed by municipalities and Ratnagiri District Local Board. According to rules, municipalities and local boards must devote at least 4 per cent, and 10 per cent. respectively of their annual income to medical relief. Reports are submitted each year to Government showing how far this obligation is carried out. Following is the list of hospitals and dispensaries in Ratnagiri district which are run by Government and local bodies.

Government Institutions.-(1) Civil Hospital, Ratnagiri, (2) Cottage Hospital, Sawantwadi, (3) Banda dispensary, (4) Mangaon dispensary, (5) Awalegaon dispensary, (6) Kudal dispensary, (7) Government mobile dispensary for Chiplun, Guhagar, Khed and Dapoli Talukas.

District Local Institutions.-(1) Cottage Hospital, Dapoli, (2) Deorukh dispensary, (3) Deogad dispensary, (4) Guhagar dispensary.

Municipal Institutions-(1) Khed dispensary, (2) Chiplun dispensary, (3) Rajapur dispensary, (4) Malvan dispensary, (5) Vengurla dispensary.

The medical officers in charge of the municipal and the district local board dispensaries are for the most part Government servants, who draw their pay and pensions directly from Government. The local bodies pay contribution to Government at the rate of Rs. 431 a month for Maharashtra Medical Service, Class II Officer and Rs. 196 per year for Maharashtra Medical Service, Class III Officer and Rs. 152.50 nP. per month for Maharashtra Medical Service, Class III (Ayurvedic) Officer and Government pays them an equivalent grant-in-aid. These hospitals and dispensaries are governed according to the rules for the Government aided charitable dispensaries, 1928, whereby, among other things, the medical officers are required to perform the medicolegal work. The institutions are under the management of the local bodies concerned and the affairs of the institutions are supervised by the district local board or the municipality, as the case may be. In the case of hospitals and dispensaries maintained by private bodies grants equal to one-fourth of their approved expenditure or equal to the actual deficit, whichever is less, are given.

Civil Surgeon.

The Civil Surgeon, Ratnagiri, is the administrative head of the medical organisation in the district. He is subordinate to the Deputy Director of Medical Services, Bombay Division, Bombay. He is in charge of the medical arrangements of the Civil Hospital at Ratnagiri and exercises complete control over the medical officers in the district. He is also the head of the Government medical officers in the district and is responsible for their efficiency and discipline and for the proper performance of their duties. He is in addition the inspecting officer of all Government and aided hospitals, dispensaries and subsidised medical practitioner centres in the district. He is also required to supervise the administration of the grant-in-aid dispensaries and hospitals in the district, and also to take an active part in the sanitary administration of Ratnagiri town as well, in public health matters affecting the district, in collaboration with the Health Officers of the Ratnagiri Municipality and the District Health Officer of the district, respectively.

Civil Hospital Ratnagiri.

The Civil Hospital is centrally situated in the Ratnagiri town. It is an old building with accommodation for 40 beds. The work of constructing a new building for the hospital is included in the Second Five-Year Plan. Out of the forty beds sanctioned, six are maternity beds. There is a separate maternity ward attached to the hospital for six beds. In addition there is one nursing home for ex-servicemen patients in the hospital premises. There are six beds in the nursing home. Besides, there is a separate- ward for T.B. patients having 12 beds. In 1957, the total number of indoor patients treated in this hospital was 1,324 and outdoor patients 13,166 and the daily average was 55.7 and 213.0 respectively. The expenditure in 1957, was Rs. 92,486.

There is an advisory committee attached to this hospital composed of the Civil Surgeon as the chairman and six other members. The functions of this committee are to help the management of the hospital by keeping the authorities informed as to the needs of the hospital as viewed by the public and advising the medical officer in charge of all measures of reform to be carried out in connection with the welfare of the patients. The departmental rules provide for the election to the committee of representatives from the District Local Board and Ratnagiri Municipality and also for nomination of two ladies.

The present paid staff of the hospital consists of the Civil Surgeon (M. M. S., Class I), Sub-charge (M. M. S., Class III), Second Assistant (M. M. S., Class III) and one lady doctor (M. M. S., Class III). The honorary staff consists of three medical officers at present. There is one laboratory technician working in the hospital. There is a post of sister sanctioned for this hospital. There are five nurses, two midwives and one sister in the hospital. In addition to the Civil Hospital, Ratnagiri, there are five Government hospitals and dispensaries in the district taken over from the former Savantwadi State, viz., Sawantwadi, Banda, Mangaon, Awalegaon and Kudal.

Subsidised Medical Practitioners.

There are 41 subsidised Medical Practitioners' centres in the district located at the following places:-

The subsidised Medical Practitioners' Scheme is introduced to encourage qualified medical practitioners to settle in rural areas. Under this scheme an allopathic practitioner gets a subsidy of Rs. 150 per month, and ayurvedic qualified practitioner Rs. 120 per month and an ayurvedic non-qualified practitioner Rs. 80 per month. Travelling allowance is paid at Rs. 37.50 per month to all the subsidised medical practitioners.

Allopathic subsidised medical practitioners are supplied with medicines worth Rs. 500 per year and Ayurvedic subsidised medical practitioners are supplied with medicines worth Rs. 300 per year. Four-fifth of the expenditure is borne by Government and one-fifth by the District Local Board.

Mental Hospital Ratnagiri.

The hospital was established in 1886. It is in charge of a Superintendent. There are two other medical officers, one psychiatrist social worker, one female nurse and two male nurses in the hospital. There are 226 beds in the hospital. The hospital has a male ward, a female ward, a criminal ward and solitary cells, etc. The average yearly attendance of patients in 320 (1959).

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