British Mandate: A Survey of Palestine: Volume II - Page 632

CHAPTER XVI.

The Government hospitals and clinics were located in the earlier years where the Arab population is preponderant, since in these areas facilities for medical treatment would otherwise be inadequate or entirely lacking. The development of the Department in this direction has been largely determined by the fact that the Jewish section of the community has been adequately provided for in this respect by Jewish organisations. At the same time, Government subsidizes the Jewish Hospital at Tel Aviv and recently that at Affuleh and has given grants-in-aid to Jewish organisations for the capital cost of constructing and equipping some of their units. There is now, however, need for expansion of the Department's hospital services in areas, both Jewish and Arab, where general hospital services are insufficient.

29. In ophthalmic sen-ices organised to combat acute conjunctivitis, which is the principal cause of blindness in Palestine, the Department's work is mainly organised for the service of Arab villagers of the Gaza District, amongst whom this disease occurs in virulent and widespread epidemics. The general treatment of eye conditions elsewhere in the country is provided at the ordinary outdoor dispensaries of all hospitals and clinics and is available to all applicants.

30. In school medical services and infant welfare work the balance of assistance is maintained by granting subsidies to the Jewish operated services based on the extent and the cost of the corresponding services provided directly by Government for the non-Jewish section of the population. At the same time, the Government service is not restricted to Government schools or Arab schools and is, in fact, utilised by others. In the treatment of ankylostomiasis and the installation of village sanitation as a preventive measure against this disease, the Department's work is concentrated on Arab areas, since it is only in this group of the population that the disease is prevalent. In the treatment and prevention of tuberculosis, Government expenditure at' the moment is confined to an annual grant-in-aid to the Jewish tuberculosis hospital at Safad and to the Anti-tuberculosis League and to the maintenance of chest clinics in the principal towns.

31. The foregoing survey of the present organisation and functions of the Government Department of Health has been supplemented by a brief reference to conditions existing prior to the war and an outline of the development of Jewish medical and ancillary public health services. Reference has been made to work done in the medical field for the general public by the considerable number of hospitals maintained by other organisations, mainly

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