POLIOMYELITIS DISCUSSED IN HOUSE TODAY

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 October 1948, Page 6

POLIOMYELITIS DISCUSSED IN HOUSE TODAY

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Her department was considering at present a successor to Dr Doris Gordon as Director of Maternal and Infant Welfare, said the Minister of Health, Miss Howard, in reply to Mr E. P. Aderman (Opposition, New Plymouth), who raised the question when the vote for the .Health Department was discussed during consideration of the estimates in the House of Representatives today. ■ Mr Aderman also said that greater priority should be given to the building of maternity hospitals. Mr D. W. Coleman (Opposition, Gisborne): It’s only No 1. The Minister of Education, Mr T. H. McCombs: It’s above housing priority. Mr Aderman said that in New Plymouth it was necessary to have another maternity home, but it had been said that it was most unlikely one would be” built before 15 or 20 years. “This is a quarter of a man’s lifetime,” he said, and pressed that something should be done to avoid and overcome delays so that pressure on the existing hospital space could «be relieved. Minister in Reply

Miss Howard said that since Dr Gordon’s resignation her work had been carried on by other departmental officers. The mere fact that no appointment to fill the vacancy had been made did not mean that such important work was not being done. The hospitals had No 1 building priority, but some hospital boards had wasted time arguing over what materials they wanted in the proposed buildings. That had caused delays, particularly when those boards were not prepared to accept what materials were available. “It is our desire to give the women of New Zealand the best that is possible,” said the Minister, adding that if the people were going to wait for certain materials to become available they would .be waiting a long time. Miss Howard said that the regulations governing private hospitals were not applied to public hospitals. There were different standards and she had found that the standards in the public hospitals were better than those in private hospitals. Poliomyelitis Spread

Mr J. R. Marshall (Opposition, Mt Victoria) asked if the experience of recent months had confirmed the tentative conclusions about the spread of the disease. Could guidance be given to the public for the coming summer in view of the apparent likelihood that this disease, formerly epidemic in its occurrence, might in future be more endemic in nature.

Miss Howard, replying, said nothing conclusive was known about poliomyelitis in this country or any other. However, one of the department’s officers had just returned this week from a world conference c.n poliomyelitis and his report was expected within a few days. Attempts to check the disease could be macle only in the light of what was happening, but a tremendous amount of research on poliomyelitis -was proceeding in New Zealand. Miss Howard agreed that the closing of the schools had not proved an effective check to poliomyelitis. The department had therefore evolved a system of school hygiene now operating in Wellington. It would be wise to extend that system to all schools, because it appeared that this scourge would be with us for some time, although its virulence seemed to have declined. Much of what was thought to be summer sickness might, in fact, be a mild form of poliomyelitis and medical attention should be sought for such cases. Miss Howard said the public cooperation had been excellent. The restrictions which were imposed were particularly exacting on the mothers of families.