CHAPTER 16.6 MEDICAL SERVICES General health conditions on the Atoll were excellent. At the beginning of the Project there was no doctor provided by the Contractor; first aid treatment was provided by male nurses or first aid men and more serious cases were treated by the military doctor on Eniwetok. It was difficult to obtain the services of a licensed civilian physician because of isolation of the Project and because of the relatively low salary specified as compared with that obtainable on the continent. Holmes and Narver established a dispensary at Eniwetok on June 26, 1949, with one head nurse in attendance, The first doctor arrived at the Jobsite on August 18, 1949. In October 1949, the Medical Department moved to Parry and set up a three-bed dispensary in a quonset hut. The permanent six-bed hospital, which was equipped with facilities for X-Ray, laboratory study, and diathermy, was completed and occupied on April 19, 1950. It cared for the majority of H & N employees requiring hospital- ization or extended treatment. Dental facilities were added in July 1950, As construction work progressed on the outer islands, first aid sta- tions were established as follows: Engebi, March 1, 1950; Biijiri, May 15, 1950; and Runit, July 18, 1950, These first aid stations, with the exception of Engebi, were each staffed by one first aid man and treated only minor casualties, All other cases were referred to the Parry hospital after receiving first aid treatment on the outer islands. For the most part, a two- or three-man staff was in attendance at Engebi, A three bed dispensary was established at Engebi about December 1, 1950. The dis— pensaries on the off islands were maintained until the islands were evacuated, The following treatment statistics cover all sites for the period June 26, 1949 to June 1, 1951: Outpatient treatments Averagé daily sick call Hospital patients 44,831 79 Average hospital days per patient Major operations Minor operations Immnizations 670 4 1A 350 - 2,745 In addition, the Army Medical Corps installation on Eniwetok rendered the following services for H & N personnel: Outpatient treatments Hospital patients Average hospital days per patient. Major operations Immunizations Physical examinations Consultations 441 19 7 10 38 23 122 16-31