8
Clerical Staff.—The office of this hospital is understaffed, with the result-
that the clerical staff had to work from 8 A.M. to 8 P.M. with me irrespective
of Sundays and other gazetted holidays and indeed they are entitled to great
credit. The head clerk and the typist of this office did wonderful work
throughout the period and deserve great credit.
Stores.—The steward and his staff are also entitled to credit for their work.
It is presumably permissible to conclude that the steadiness of the stores-
department was due to their chief, the steward, who set an example to his
staff by his profound sense of duty working nearly 12 hours a day irrespective
of Sundays and other gazetted holidays.
General.—The hospital was visited once by the Hon'ble Babu Ganesh
Dutta Singh, Minister-in-charge, Local Self-Government and several times by
the Inspector-General of Civil Hospitals, Bihar and Orissa.
GENERAL REMARKS.
Attendant's staff.—The attendants staff was mostly required from the
Indian Christians of the Ranchi district. With few exceptions majority of
them were found to be illiterate and unsuited for the work of this hospital.
Every effort was made to impress upon them the responsibility and the nature
of their duties but our efforts met with little success. The attendants staff
transferred from old hospitals are also not satisfactory and I should like to
replace many of them by male nurses.
J. E. DHUNJIBHOY,
Captain, I.M.S.,
Superintendent, Mental Hospital, Kanke.
A brief report and remark describing the transfer of insane patients from
the three mental hospitals at Patna, Berhampore and Dacca to the new Indian
Mental Hospital, Kanke (Ranchi).
I was appointed Superintendent of this hospital with effect from the 1st
April 1925 from which date until 15th May 1925 a period of six weeks, I was
permitted by the local Government to remain in Calcutta for the purpose of
purchasing stores and equipment for the new hospital and also to formulate
a programme for the removal of the patients from the three hospitals.
The initial difficulty I encountered and surmounted, was that of being able
to obtain 1,000 beds required for the hospital within that all too short period
at an acceptable price.
None of the firms dealing with such equipment were prepared to supply
so many as 1,000 beds in two months. The Presidency Jail demanded Rs. 45
per bed and could only delivery 60 beds per mensem. Ultimately with a great
deal of persuasion one of the firms in Calcutta undertook the contract and
carried it out to my specification and within the specified time at a very reason-
able rate.
This alone made it possible for the hospital to be opened in the prescribed
time and in the meantime stores were also purchased or contracted for.
A contract was made with the Eastern Bengal Railway to furnish five
boggies fitted with prison bars and with sitting accommodation to suit my
requirements under my instructions. All latrine doors being removed and
a continuous corridor constructed running throughout the entire length of the
five boggies. Extra locking arrangements and alarm signals were also pro-
vided. A similar contract was entered into with the Bengal Nagpur Rail way
to supply similarly improvised boggies on the narrow gauge.
I visited Patna, Berhampore and Dacca mental hospitals and interviewed
the respective Superintendents in each of these places and fixed up all neces-
sary details and time table for the transfer of their inmates to Kanke
(Ranchi).