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    17. Assam.—The rural dispensaries in Assam are mostly in the charge
of Sub-Assistant Surgeons, who serve within a radius of 10 miles from
each dispensary. The Local Boards have also employed medical graduates
in certain selected rural dispensaries.

    A scheme for the appointment of subsidised medical practitioners in
rural areas not served by any dispensary has very recently been adopted.

    18. Orissa.—The facilities available at present for rural medical relief
in this province are not adequate, there being on an average, only one
medical institution for every 43,859 of population. There are eight subsi-
dised rural dispensaries in the Ganjam and Koraput districts and ten
in the districts of North Orissa. The Local Government have under consi-
deration a scheme to subsidise, besides Allopaths, practitioners of the
Homoeopathic, Ayurvedic and Unani systems, who agree to settle down
in villages.

    Under the new scheme the Medical Officer in charge of the Rural Dis-
pensary is, in addition to providing medical relief, entrusted with the work
of developing rural sanitation in the village where the dispensary is situated
and its immediate surroundings, the cultivation of a sanitary and a civic
consciousness and formation of minor health unions, etc. He is also expect-
ed to look after the general well-being of school children, anti-malarial
work in the circumscribed areas, organisation of Health and Baby Week
celebrations, Maternity and Child Welfare work, assistance in the collec-
tion of vital statistics and in the vaccination work of the Health staff
as far as possible. In other words, the dispensary doctor is to assume the
role of a "health guardian" of the villagers and to afford the necessary
guidance and instruction to the uneducated population within his limited
area. This does not absolve the Health Officer and his staff from their
responsibility for their legitimate duties, on the preventive side of medicine,
nor is it intended to amalgamate the Medical and Public Health Depart-
ments, but the aim is only to secure proper liaison and co-operation
between the officers and staff of the two departments.

    19. Sind.—The Government of Sind have introduced, with effect from
1sth October 1937, a scheme for providing medical relief in rural areas,
which aims at the employment of five subsidised medical practitioners
in each district.

    The subsidised medical practitioner is under an obligation to do inocula-
tion or vaccination work or such other duty as may be entrusted to him
by the Civil Surgeon or Medical Officer or the President of the District Local
Board in times of epidemics. Such duties are to be performed free of
charge provided that the persons to be inoculated visit the dispensary.
If the whole-time services of the Medical Officer are required in times of
severe epidemics, he will be paid the same remuneration as an Epidemic
Officer.