TUBERCULOSIS CAMPAIGN

Press, Volume C, Issue 29524, 27 May 1961, Page 14

TUBERCULOSIS CAMPAIGN

Rangiora X-Ray Scheme

After house-to-house visits which have been made by public health nurses, two X-ray unite will operate in Rangiora all next week as the climax of a campaign for every adult in the town to have an X-ray as a tuberculosis check. This is the first time in New Zealand that an intensive campaign involving house visiting has been undertaken in a community of comparable size. In their personal visits to every house in Rangiora, the public health nurses explained the purpose of the survey and answered questions. When the Health Department has relied upon persons coming forward for the X-ray on their own initiative. less than a 60 per cent, response has been achieved, and the Rangiora scheme is aimed at encouraging greater numbers to take advantage of the visiting X-ray units. Dr. F. A. de Hamel, the Deputy - Medical Officer of Health in Christchurch in charge of tuberculosis work, has been responsible for organising the survey in Rangiora. “We have completed the house-to-house visits and encouraged persons to attend the units, and it now remains for us to see just how many do turn up," he said. “The general reaction to our visits was very favourable.”

Two X-ray Unite The stationary X-ray unit normally housed in the Manchester street offices of the department is to be set up in the middle of Rangiora, and the mobile unit will travel throughout the town to serve other residents. "Our aim is to X-ray everyone in Rangiora over 16 years of age who has not been X-rayed this year,” said Dr. de Hamel. "In our house visits we found that a certain amount of resistance evident four or five years ago seems to have softened, and there is a far greater degree of goodwill that in the early days of X-rays. There was some door-slamming, but we hope that these few’ people will see the advantages of the scheme and come forward." Dr. de Hamel paid tribute were still some persons who were under the misapprehension that they had to pay for the X-ray service.

A similar scheme to that being tried in Rangiora had been successful in Glasgow. Voluntary labour was used in the house visits, and the cost of about £250,000 was considered great value, he said. It had also been successful in other parts of the world. Dr de Hamel paid tribute to the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Rangiora. which has assisted in publicising the scheme.