TUBERCULOSIS BILL

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25547, 15 July 1948, Page 6

TUBERCULOSIS BILL

PARLIAMENT

TREATMENT AND PREVENTION OBLIGATIONS ON DOCTORS AND HOSPITALS (P.A.) WELLINGTON. July 14. Wide powers to provide for the better treatment and care of persons suffering from tuberculosis and to prevent the spread of the disease are contained in the Tuberculosis Bill which was introduced in the House of Representatives to-day. The bill imposes obligations on medical practitioners. medical officers of health, and hospital boards. Medical practitioners having reason to believe that any person professionally attended by them may be suffering from tuberculosis are required 10 notify the medical officer of health accordingly. If satisfied that the patient has the disease in an active form and is likely to infect others, the doctor shall inform the patient, the person nursing the patient, and the wife, husband, parent, or guardian of the patient if residing on the premises. The intended discharge of a tuberculosis patient from an institution and the patient’s address shall be notified to the medical officer of health. Masters of coastal ships in port are required to notify the port health officer of any suspected case of tuberculosis on board. Registrars of deaths must advise medical officers of health of any deaths from the disease. Provision for Immunisation

Medical officers of health are required to see that tuberculosis patients receive proper treatment and supervision, whether in an institution or not. They must also take steps, as far as possible, to trace the source of infection and contacts and have the latter medically examined with a view to their treatment and supervision, including voluntary immunisation by vaccine.

Medical officers of health are given power of entry to any premises occupied by a tuberculosis patient or contact and are also empowered to give directions considered necessary to prevent the spread of infection. The’ Minister of Health may require hospital boards to maintain tuberculosis clinics and to provide equipment and services, including X-ray and bacteriological laboratory equipment, for treatment and diagnosis. A requirement of the Minister may relate io inpatients or out-patients Or to both classes of patients.

The Minister may also establish and maintain clinics for the treatment of the disease and encourage the establishment of associations for the purpose of preventing its spread and securing the aftercare of victims of the disease. Subsidies may be granted for this purpose. Isolation Powers The isolation up to three months of patients likely to spread infection can be enforced by medical officers of health through magisterial order. There is a right of appeal against isolation to a judge of the Supreme Court in chambers. The bill provides for vocational guidance, assistance, and industrial rehabilitation courses for tuberculosis sufferers wishing to undertake employment or work on their own account of a kind suited to their physical condition, age, experience, and genera] qualification. The Minister is empowered to provide special accommodation in the way of shelters or portable huts for the use of tuberculosis patients. Repairs or structural additions may be made to dwellinghouses in which tuberculosis patients live. Hospital boards are authorised to make payments to employees contracting tuberculosis in the course of their duties. It is an offence to resist, obstruct, or deceive any person in the exercise of any powers conferred by the bill. Penalties for offences are a fine up to £2O and, in the case of a continuing offence, a further fine of £2 for every day the offence continues. Regulations may be made under the bill prescribing the treatment, control, and supervision of tuberculosis patients, the precautions to be taken, and other procedures to be followed for implementing the legislation. The bill is to come into force on April 1, 1949.

Minister’s Explanation Explaining the bill, the Minister of Health (Miss M. B, Howard) said it would enable the various forms of the disease to be registered and classified in a uniform manner so that epidemiological control could be exercised. It would permit more prompt and effective treatment of notified cases and enable others to be detected at an early stage. The public generally required greater knowledge of the disease. Those persons who through ignorance or otherwise refused to follow advice •given might in a few instances have to be required to conform to accepted practice in the national interests. At present there was no practical power to protect individuals or the community and the bill provided for that. Up to the present only administrative action had been in existence to control tuberculosis and certain weaknesses had become apparent, said Miss Howard. To effect uniform control the support of legislation was required to procure a fall in the incidence and mortality, which should assist materially towards a complete and permanent eradication of the disease. APPROVAL OF BILL TUBERCULOSIS ASSOCIATIONS (P.A.> WELLINGTON, July 14. Approval of the purposes and general provisions of the Tuberculosis Bill / was expressed unanimously by the executive council of the New Zealand Federation of Tuberculosis Associations this afternoon. An outline of the measure was given by the Director of the Tuberculosis Division of the Department of Health (Dr. C. A. Taylor), who was congratulated on the successful culmination of his efforts towards the provision of adequate legislation to cope more effectively with tuberculosis. At the morning session the council was addressed briefly by the Minister of Health (Miss M. B. Howard), who thanked Dr# Taylor for his assistance. The council congratulated her on the bill and thanked her for her interest and attendance. The council carried the following resolution: “That a sub-committee comprising the president (Dr. W G Rich, Christchurch), the chairman (Mr

C. Meachen, Wellington), Mr H E Anderson, of Wellington, and Dr. G Maclean, of Wellington, be set up to consider the Tuberculosis Bill and if necessary, give evidence to the Health Committee, and that all associations be requested to convene special meetings of their executives to discuss the bill and forward their suggestions and comments to the council for submission to the appropriate Committee of the House.” In a general discussion, concern awas again expressed at the adverse effects which the continued shortage of nurses and institutional accommodation and bad housing and environment were having on efforts being made to combat tuberculosis. SHIPPING AND SEAMEN (P.A.) WELLINGTON, July 14. Men in charge of small passengercarrying craft are required to have some knowledge of navigation, by the shipping and Seamen Amendment Bill, which was introduced and read a first time in the House of Representatives to-day. Ths Minister of Marine (Mr F. Hackett) said that although men driving launches were not required to be certificated they should know something of navigation. The bill also provides that a ship under six tons register and carrying passengers or freight for. hire or engaging in towing for hire shall carry a duly certificated master. Where more than 50 passengers are carried for hire within extended river limits, a ship shall carry.in addition one or more seamen. If a ship to which a restricted limit certificate is issued does not exceed six tons register and engages solely in towing for hire, the Secretary .of Marine may in his discretion extend the certificate of the master by authorising him. to navigate that ship within the restricted limits set out in the certificate issued to - the ship. The bill places seamen in the same category as other workers in recovering the difference between and wages fixed by an award. The carriage of cargo on deck is' made an offence unless a permit is held to do so. The original act says that no ship shall carry deck cargo or live stock without a permit, but there is no provision making a breach an offence. A seaman discharged on account of illness is given the right to be sent to his home port and also tc receive sick pay.