"THE WHITE SCOURGE."

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 17437, 24 April 1922, Page 8

"THE WHITE SCOURGE."

NEED FOR NATIONAL POLICY. (special to "tite press.") DUNEDIN, April 22. The statement of Dr. G. J. Blackmore, medical director of the North Canterbury Hospital Board's tuberculosis institutions, to the eiiect that there was no defined national policy for dealing with tuberculosis in New Zealand, when brought under the notice of the Otago Hospital Board authorities, met with an endorsement all round. In the first place, it was pointed out that in June, 1920, Mr Quelch (chairman of the Finance Committee of the Otago Board), at the conference of Hospital Boards held at Wellington, moved that the whole of the control in connexion with the prevention and treatment of tuberculosis be taken over by the Public Health Department, but his motion was lost by 19 votes to 14. This is still the contention of the members of the Otago Board: That the prevention and treatment of consumDtion should be a matter for the Health Department. From information gathered in Dunedin, the Government's original scheme was that there should be eight main Hospital Board districts, but it never amalgamated the small districts so as jto carry out the wishes of its own officers. It has rather tended to separate the districts, with the result that there are now so many small districts that it is impossible to have a definite national policy. To give effect to this, it would be necessary to have large areas. If the policy of the officers of the Health Department to have eight main base districts had been carried out when it was first proposed, the national crusade against consumption, it is contended, would have produced more beneficial results. . "Tho recognised policy for fighting consumption," states a local medical authority of standing, "is set out in the Edinburgh tuberculosis scheme founded in 1537 by Sir Roberts Philip, who wrote that what was required was: (1) A consumption dispensary, with a tuberculosis officer; (2) a sanatorium for early cases; (3) a sanatorium tor confirmed cases; (4) a working colony: (5) an after-care association." In regard to No. 1, he explained that there were two dispensaries in New Zealand, and only two tuberculosis officers, namely, Dr. Blackmore (North Canterbury) and Dr. Lyth (Otago). In regard to No. 2, they had Pleasant Valley here for early cases, and in respect to No. 3 they had Wakari for confirmed cases, but there was neither a working colony nor an after-care association anywhere in New Zealand. In England the after-care association had been taken over by a joint committee of the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance Associations, which had collected large sums of money tor that purpose. "Our grievance," said a member of the Otago Board, "is that we were asked to undertake a national policy, and when we did bo, and provided a tuberculosis officer and beds, we next had everything thrown back on our hands by the Government, and, incidentally,' South Otago gets off by paying a few rates. Allowing districts to separate, and not combining the smaller district with the base hospitals, prevents any national policy being adopted, and this state of things will continue . unless the Government takes the whole thing over. If the Hospital Boards are to carry.out their functions, then they should be given large areas." •'"''■ Dr. Falconer, medical superintendent at the Dunedin Hospital, in a report on the matter, says: "The Board has undoubtedly provided twenty-four beds for military,patients and fourteen beds for South Otago and four b.eds for outside districts, wliich wonld never have been provided by this Board had the present policies of .the military and Health Departments, and the policy of a separated district,, been in force. It would be quite a "fair estimate to state that the Hospital Board has spent £20,000 more for buildings for the requirements of our own present dismembered district."