Report of the Ministry of Health / Colony of Singapore.

  • Singapore. Ministry of Health.
Date:
[1957]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of the Ministry of Health / Colony of Singapore. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    15/294 (page 3)
    Primary Examination of the R.A.C.S. 8. Under the Colombo Plan the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons conducted the Primary Examination for the Fellowship in Singapore in March- April of the year. Beginning in January a preliminary preparatory study course was conducted by Australian lecturers to prepare candidates for the examina¬ tion. The lecturers for the preparatory course were Mr. H. H. Eddy, Examiner in Anatomy and Surgery, University of Melbourne, Dr. W. J. Simmonds, Professor (designate) of Physiology, University of Western Australia and Mr. G. S. Christie, Senior Lecturer in Pathology, University of Melbourne. The primary examination was conducted by Professor E. S. J. King, Professor of Pathology, University of Melbourne, Professor S. Sunderland, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Professor of Anatomy, University of Melbourne, Dr. F. C. Courtice, Director of the Institute of Pathology, Sydney Hospital, and Mr. P. J. Kenny, Lecturer in Surgical Anatomy, University of Sydney. 9. A total of 34 doctors and 1 dentist undertook the preliminary course of study sponsored by the Government of Singapore. Twenty were from the Medical Department, Singapore. A total of 41 sat the primary examination in March-April and of these 11 were successful of whom 6 were employed in the Department. The results have been highly satisfactory. Training of Nursing and Auxiliary Personnel 10. The lack of experienced staff is naturally felt in our training pro¬ gramme. It is essential that an increasing number of suitable girls are recruited as probationer nurses to meet the ever-increasing demands of an expanding service. At the present time there are approximately 600 student nurses in training at the General Hospital. The New Nurses Training School which was opened at this hospital at the end of 1956 has a staff of four trained Sister Tutors. We have exceeded the estimated capacity of this training school and it will be necessary to consider the opening of a second training school in Singapore if trained staff can be recruited. In spite of the difficulties a total of 101 nurses (93 female and 8 male) passed their Final Examination in Nursing during 1957. In addition 44 nurses passed the examination of the Midwives Board after completing their midwifery training at Kandang Kerbau Hospital. 11. During 1957 a total of 162 student nurses were recruited, 150 females and 12 males. 12. Assistant nurses are trained at Tan Tock Seng’s Hospital and during the year 86 were accepted for training. During the same period 42 passed the Final Examination. 13. Midwives are trained at Kandang Kerbau Hospital and 52 pupils were accepted for training and during the same period 33 passed the examina¬ tion set by the Midwives Board. 14. In January 1957 we were fortunate in obtaining the services of a W.H.O. Psychiatric Nursing Tutor, Miss R. McEwan, and were able to re¬ open the Training School at Woodbridge Mental Hospital. This school had been closed since November 1955 for lack of a Sister Tutor. The first 7 Registered Nurses to take the examination for the psychiatric certificate did so in October and of these 6 were successful. 15. In April Miss M. Sankey was sent to Singapore by the W.H.O. as a Health Visitor Tutor and the first Health Visitors Course to be held in Singapore began on 1st November. It was agreed to combine this course with