[W.H.O. Diary Entries 1949-1952?]

              Them-Br.    MacPhail,  goris and I went to pay the official call on
ME0. Aung- Sam    This was very friendly and ao business, ,   but she asked me
tt lunojh with her ^f^^R^ome*    We then called on Br* Tha Oya^^ireetcr
.of Health Seryjpes. -^||^|^ttnd-er him that nursing pervll^is administered,
ffhe training 'and" the service -are still under separate (departments although
I was sure that In a, report in Geneva recently I read ithait they were now
under one.. . Wishful thinking!    We spoke   -very briefly ,;,to 'iijim but there
there was time for him to get in'..-a dig-about difficuiitieslIn accommodation
whieh :|pi'-^| sere question here now.'   We also, saw m* Barnabas*  Chief
of the UUICEF Mission in Burma. .  He is having a get  together of all W
people In Burma hext:fhursday and invited £oris and I«|\ •     gjSffil
Then lunch with Mrs. Aung-San at her rather deli^ht^l'^i&me.     It
lasted nearly two hours and Mcertainly hearSer si»|fA:th|s^i^Bt'■
would seem that the difficulties stem from the fact -thkt vhad.lttes Graham
and Miss Davies' first came they were shown the  two  rooM* intthchospital
which were allotted to them and refused tot&kt them u$til th«ir4^were some
major "alterations made.     This would have been very costly and \bo: they
were put in the Hotel.    When Mrs. Aung -San returned from-(Jen e^ra she found
them, there.    3he was very upset,  fundamentally because j she. does not like
hotel life for nurses and. does not like the example set to Burmese    girls.
I certainly would ggree-gwith her*-   S^Pthe last two months -the£e girls have
been in the hospital but Insisted on a private bath which    has been ma&® for
them at cons Id arable expense*     According to Mrs Aung-Sap thy wanted folding
bed© and several other cemmoditees. which could, not be provided.   W^ehall see
for myself and get their ide ff the story.       Apparently, there has "been
some talk of moving Miss %tald. Mrs.  A~S says that Is nbt the wayVto
handle the situation,   that the mistake should be corrected with ,h,ei%     She
apparently is very high-handed with Br.  Haufman.  ulB3 Bplrd went tc live
at the hostel when there was a room ready*     There was a' second for    Miss
Quaid at that time but .$he refused to go.    Miss Baird dies a lot of her
own work and appareffitly has the Burmese just eating from her haad*    Am
going there fox^ dinner ''so will be able to judge ^r mys#1£pk%|toSrnt^
I should imagine that Br. MaePhall is not ^leader^^Kli*' is being
put in a very difficult position    and it Is not fair to expect hia to be
- the leader of wh4efe~4fee  '% project of which the major part is nursing,
they certainly do not/want any more, nurses until the acceded o tion
situation is corrected ..(The .hotel .has not reeieved a ee*l% yetfS^lkerc ie
opposition to4!^pMWeing Advisor but ohiefly beeause o^the aeebmmcdation
and also because they are afraid of the kind of person they wil^jet^It
seems to me know that a solution might fee to. re-write the' present project,
making It two—a nursing,   and an M*C*E.,  and to put in a good leader of
the nursing team who woult have the same advisory .responsibilities as
though | separate project were made of the Btirsing Adyiso^^sitlen.
Of course this la one side of the story -Jbd It is quite obvious that one
of the major difficulties Is the fact that Mrs. A-S.  Is herself I| nurse
and takes responsibility    for too many details.
An  Interesting side-1ight~the nurses  expressed  the opinion    th&t the
reason Iss Btiipnan,   the "atron of the hospital *  does not- have more
authority iftifflher-own hands, is because she' Is Anglo-Burmese.    Mrs. A*«8
expressed the/opinion that the reason the *HD nurses do not pay as much
respect and'courtesy to Miss Biekmaa is because they ps^bafely consider her
as only Anglo-Burmese 5d
Delightful dinner at Miss Bairdfs.  ■ She  is on very friendly terms
withfflBr^'Huffmen,  wh^ch mayd$i||may not; be good,  and Bi^ftuffmaa^s cook'
prepares Miss Baird1 s;-meals and ybk$^bearer goes for. them 'Cat his bicycle.
She has a room in the■ hostel and has fixed it very nicely having £$ught
some furniture herself.    £«"'is on the ground f&oor and has had to have
special' wire screening on the doors and windows because, of. the danger
of deeoiters.    In whe samerbuilding there are about forty health yisitors
~fehom Miss Baird teaches.     ?he partitions are very thin and their laughter
'^d sieging were clearly audible all evening.    Later they did some
base dancing fQ^foxB.3^11 are a very happy and wholesome leaking
tp of women m<L% girls.    I had the feeling that Miss Baird was one
them  ,   that $he really liked  them and  they! were very fond of her.
Baird has two dogs-,  one of which will, pro due e more any day I