patient and desirable method of transfer. Patients shall be transferred a:
rapidly as circumstances permit and by the most expeditious and safe means
CIVAD Medical Officers shall provide all possible treatment, including
surgery, in ther own CIVAD Dispensaries prior to requesting transfer ot
patients to either Truk or Guam. CIVAD Medical Officers are advised that
competent surgeons are available at Kwajalein and Truk. These activities
shall be consulted and facilities used wheneverpossible.
Bills submitted by the Naval Hospital for in-patient treatment of Trust
Territory patients will be forwarded to the cognizant Civil Administrator,
who will certify by endorsement thereon, as to the indigent or nonindigent
status of the patient, returning the original and two copies to the Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Hospital, Guam.
This is necessary in order that
the hospital may adjust accounting records and justify and substantiate
classification of Trust Territory patients as humanitarian, indigent (nonpay)
cases. Collections for nonindigent cases will be made by the cognizant
Civil Administrator and delivered to the Collection Agent. U. S. Naval
Hospital, Guam for deposit as directed in current instructions of the Bureau
of Medicine and Surgery.
HICOMTERPACIS Liaison Officer, Guam, shall maintain close liaison
with the Commanding Officer, U. S. Naval Hospital, Guam. On issue of
patients discharge orders by the Naval Hospital COMNAVMARIANAS
shall arrange for transportation, assigning the highest priority possible which
will insure the earliest and most expeditious evacuation of Trust Territory
patients thereby keeping indigent patient subsistence and hospital charges
at the minimum.'®
The numberof beds available for the inhabitants of the Trust Territory, including the roo beds at the Tinian Leprosarium,” totalled 388
in June 1951, or one bed for every 63 people. This comparedfavorably
with the corresponding figure for the United States which, as of 1953.
had one bed for every 97 persons.**
The Tinian Leprosarium
During the military government period, 1944-1947, the Navy had
continuedthe practice instituted by the Japanese of transferring lepers
to certain isolated islands 1n the various districts where they were
visited occastonally by administration personnel and given supplies
and ordinary medical treatment. This was an unsatisfactory arrangement, however, andas soon as the UnitedStates assumedresponsibility
* CinCPacFlt ltr ser 3471/HiComTerPacls ltr ser 1692 dul 14 Sep 50.
"Infra, p. gor, ff.
* The World Almanac, 1g54.
900
seb 880