EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22802, 30 August 1939, Page 10

EXPENDITURE ON HEALTH

More Educative Work * , * Suggested \ * MINISTER’S REPLY TO COMPLAINT [From Our Parliamentary Reporter.] WELLINGTON, August 29. “The necessity to spend £1,500,000 on health suggests that there has been disregard of the laws of health, and hygiene,” said 'Mr W, A. Bodkin (Opposition, Central Otago) during the discussion on the Estimates in the House oS Representatives to-day. There should be more attention to educating the people so that a strong and vigorous nation might be built, he said. Mr Bodkin said that he wfcs amazed to find that the country was spending such a vast sum on curing people who were already sick, when instead steps should be taken to educate the people ao that they did not become sick. Improper feeding was one potent cause of disease, and a very considerable improvement could be brought about in health by education. He would like to see some of the money diverted to education for health. A high and responsible pmice officer had told him, said Mr Bodkin, that the proportion of recruits to the Police Force who had to be rejected was very was not true, said the Minister, the Hon. P. Fraser, to say that the proportion of men rejected for the Police Force was high. Some men were rejected because o f age, or for some other reason:.but if the young men who offered themselves for the force were a cross section of the whole tion, the Government would be very pleased. . “If members will pay attention to individual items in the Health Department vote.” said the Minister, they will see that the amount of money l*-> be spent on purely preventive measures is very high indeed. 4 In fact, the department looks upon itsei' as waging, a continual war on disease.’ Research was being made into such things as nutrition, cancer, and tuberculosis; said the Minister. These activities were under the Medical Research Council. Which was doing excellent work, as were a number of, other bodies. “But there is a lot of charlatanism," said the Minister. ‘Some of them learn something- of' the theory of the condition they profess to treat, and often are elevated by the public into- higher positions than are trained men People swallow their theories, and presumably their medicines too. Much work of the department was preventive, and educative, as well as curative; said the Minister. District nurses, health officers, and health inspectors were concerned with prevention, and no.finer attempt to build a healthy nation had been made than the provision of milk to school-cmiaren.