Synodical Conference Convention Proceedings St. Louis, Missouri — 1958, Page 81

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Lutheran Synodical Conference, 1958 81

Normal School

This school, established in 1951, is now producing Lutheran
certificated teachers to carry on the work in our Lutheran schools
with an enrollment of 16,644 children.

Secondary Schools
Our secondary schools have an enrollment at present of 314.

Hospital

In 1953 our Lutheran hospital at Eket was dedicated to the
glory of the Triune God. It has proven itself to be a valuable
adjunct to our entire mission setup. Our physician in charge,
Dr. Eric Lofgren, offers the following report on the hospital’s
activity:

The year 1957 has again brought many blessings to our hos-
pital at Eket, Nigeria. We give glory, honor, and thanks to our
heavenly Father for these unmerited benefactions. It is our
prayer that our hospital will always be an arm of the Lutheran
mission in extending the Gospel and the healing arts to the sick
and needy.

15,156 patients were given attention in the out-patient clinics,
and of these, 6,090 were seen for the first time. In our devo-
tional services held at the beginning of each clinic, the audience
numbers as much as 300. 2,268 patients were admitted to the
hospital, and of these, 1,185 were surgical, 801 were medical, and
282 were obstetrical patients. There were 1,483 operations —
both in-patients and out-patients. These figures tell us that there
has been a slight increase in the amount of work done over
that of last year. Lack of beds, wards, and workers prevented
us from doing more.

The year 1957 records the following progress at the hospital:
1. A second doctor joined the staff in August 1957.

2. The X-ray equipment is installed and in working order. This
is one of the finest installations in the Eastern Region. This
is a gift from the people in America, particularly the Wheat
Ridge Foundation.

3. The house for patients’ relatives is completed and already
overcrowded.

4. The African student nurses’ dormitories are completed, and
at present occupied by our untrained employees. This is the
first stage in planning a nurses’ training school.

5. The tuberculosis wing is nearly completed. We are truly
grateful to the Wheat Ridge Foundation which has made this
annex possible.

6. The laundry machinery has arrived and is nearly ready for
use, Our greatest problem remains the. staffing of this hospital.
We are in need of properly trained Christian Nigerian nurses
for supervising and teaching the untrained. If any of you have
sons or daughters who are qualified and registered grade I
Nigerian nurses, I urge you to send them to Eket for an inter-
view.

We commend and offer our gratitude to the Wheat Ridge
Foundation which has made possible by generous monetary gifts
the establishment of TB wards and the acauisition of complete
X-ray equipment. The completed ward for tubercular patients
was dedicated in a special service on April 2, 1958. Besides Dr. Lof-