Health Inspector Shortage

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31365, 10 May 1967, Page 7

Health Inspector Shortage

The City Council is so short of health inspectors that each one of the six has a district containing a population greater than many New Zealand cities.

Cities of 20,000 to 30,000 usually have three, and sometimes four, health inspectors.

Amendments to the Health Department food hygiene and eating-house regulations which came into force last month have placed a greater burden on the city’s health inspectors. The registration of premises for the manufacture, preparation, packing, storage and handling of food for sale, formerly the responsibility of the Health Department, now rests with the local authorities.

There are 47 such establishments in the city, many of them large firms, in substantial buildings and employing a big number of workers. At present, only a small number of these premises have been found up to registration standard by the City Council district health inspectors. In most cases, the management has co-operated willingly with the recommendations and suggestions outlined by the inspectors. In addition, the City Council has some 100 more grocery, fruit and vegetable and cake shops to register and look after because of the amended regulations. The health inspectors are now responsible for ensuring that more than 1300 food storing and handling establishments, including factories, warehouses, shops and hotel

kitchens, and eating houses (from coflee bars to unlicensed restaurants) are up to the minimum standards laid down for the safety of the public. The city chief health inspector (Mr A. P. Millthorpe), questioned this week, said that all the premises should be Inspected regularly—at least twice a year. With only six district health Inspectors, this would mean a minimum of 430 visits of inspection for each inspector a year to food handling and eating-houses alone. The inspectors are also responsible for ensuring proper standards of health (infectious diseases), hygiene, sani-

tation, air pollution, and other environmental factors for all buildings, public and private, in their districts. . The City Council was advertising for a senior health inspector, for supervisory work, at present said Mr Miilthorpe.

“There has been a shortage of qualified health inspectors in New Zealand for several years. We have three trainee inspectors who will sit examinations next month,” he said. “Last year, the council authorised the engagement of four trainee health inspectors, but we were able to obtain only two. Several other councils are short-

staffed in their health departments.”

On a population basis, Christchurch city should have IS district health inspectors. Some of the local authorities are advertising for health inspectors on salaries substantially above award rates in an effort to build their staffs to minimum requirements.