Chapter XLII
MEDICAL FACILITIES AND TREATMENT
Medicalfacilities for the care of the inhabitants of the Trust Territory included dispensaries at Saipan, Yap, Koror, Truk, Ponape and
Majuro; subdispensaries at all inhabited outlying atolls and islands:
the Guam Memorial Hospital; the Tinian Leprosarium; and, if an
itinerant ship can be called a facility, the naval vessel USS WHIDBEY
(AG-141).
Dispensaries
The dispensaries at the civil administration headquarters and Yap,
usually of quonset construction, provided medical and dental outpatient care for local inhabitants and in-patient care for all persons
in the districts. Their size varied from the 2 ward, 25 bedfacilities at
Ponapeto the 12 ward, 235 bed capacity at Saipan.’ By June 30, 1951,
a total of 544 beds were available in the Trust Territory dispensaries
and at Guam for the care of the people.”
The dispensaries provided treatment for all illnesses except leprosy
and those requiring special facilities available only at a large hospital.
Each wasstaffed by two or three Naval Medical Corps officers, Medical
Hospital Corps officers, Hospital Corpsmen andindigenous health
aides and nurses aides. All nonindigenous medical personnel spent
part of their time visiting the subdispensaries on the outlying islands
during fieldtrips.
In addition to the medical and dental care provided by the staff,
a training program for health aides and nurses aides was conductedat
each dispensary under the direction of che senior medical officer.
Re-
quired refresher courses were also held for aides stationed at the subdispensaries.
‘The Saipan Agures include the wards containing 150 beds at the Northern Marianas ‘Vuber-
culosis Sanitarium.
* See table. p. S86,
"Infra, p. g20 ff.
885
5000023