No. 3419.
FROM
LIEUTENANT-COLONEL W. H. C. FORSTER, D.P.H., I.M S.,
Sanitary Commissioner, Punjab,
To
THE HON'BLE MR. B. T. GIBSON, I.C.S.,
Financial Secretary to Government, Punjab.
Dated Lahore, the 9th July 1919.
SIR,
I HAVE the honour to forward. for the information of His Honour the
Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab, the Annual Vaccination Statements for
the year 1918-19.
Administration.
2. The charge of the Vaccination Department was held by the
Hon'ble Colonel (now Major-General) H. Hendley, M.D, K.H.S., I.M S.,
in addition to that of Inspector General of Civil Hospitals till the 16th August
1918 when I relieved him and held charge for the remainder of the year.
I held charge of the post of Deputy Sanitary Commissioner until I
was relieved by Major H. M. Mackenzie, himself a former Deputy Sanitary
Commissioner, on 16th August 1918, who remained in charge for the rest of
the year. The appointment of Deputy Sanitary Commissioner was held both
by Major Mackenzie and myself in addition to that of Professor of Pathology
at the Lahore Medical College. Dr. K. A. Rahman, M.B., Ch.B. (Edin.),
D P.H. (London), held the post of Additional Deputy Sanitary Commissioner
during the year. The appointment of Superintendent, Punjab Vaccine
Institute, was held by Assistant Surgeon Prem Nath, Suri, from the commence-
ment of the year till 12th February 1919, when he was relieved by Military
Assistant Surgeon H. C. Phillips who held the post till the end of the year.
Strength of vacci-
nation establishment
Statement No. 11.
3. The number of Divisional Inspectors (5) and the Superintendents
of Vaccination (30) remained unaltered during the year, but the number of
vaccinators employed increased from 285 to 298. The increase is due to the
entertainment of extra vaccinators for short periods in the districts of Gurgaon,
Simla, Kangra, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Lahore, Gurdaspur, Gujranwala, Jhelum,
Rawalpindi, Mianwali, Montgomery, Lyallpur and Muzaffargarh to combat
the epidemic of small-pox which prevailed during the year.
Cost of the De-
partment.
Statement No. II.
4. The cost of the Department amounted to Rs. 141,816 showing an
increase of Rs. 11,225 as compared with Rs. 1,30,591 for the previous year.
The increase was chiefly due to grade promotion in the Vaccination staff and
contingencies.
Cost of each suc-
cessful case.
Statement No. II.
5. The average cost of each successful vaccination was Re. 0-2-10 as
compared with Re. 0-3-0 in the previous year. The decrease in the cost per
successful vaccination is due to the increase in the number of operations
performed during the year. If, however, the sum of Rs. 37,356 which has been
credited to Government on account of cost of vaccine sold be deducted from
the total expenditure the average cost works out Re. 0-2-1 as compared with
Re. 0-2-5 in the previous year.
Total
operations
done by all establish-
ments.
Statement No. I.
6. The total number of operations reported to have been performed
by all establishments during the year under report was 994,593 showing an
increase of 190,364. Of the total cases 566,062 were recorded as primary
vaccinations and 428,531 as re-vaccinations against 621,650 and 182,579 in
1917-18. The decrease in primary vaccination is generally attributed to
the prevalence of Influenza whilst the great increase in the number of re-vac-
cinations is the result of a general vaccination campagin against the epidemic-
of small-pox which prevailed throughout the season.