TUBERCULOSIS CLINIC

Taranaki Daily News, 20 August 1935, Page 10

TUBERCULOSIS CLINIC

PROPOSAL FOR HAWERA HOSPITAL BOARD APPROACHED. OBSERVATION OF EARLY CASES. "If we can obtain knowledge of incipient cases of tuberculosis I am positive that in such cases we can effect a complete cure and eventually make great progress in stamping out the disease,” said Dr. R. A. Shore, of the Health Department, at a special meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board yesterday. The meeting was held to discuss with Dr. Shore and representatives of the Palmerston North Hospital Board the question of establishing a clinic at Hawera for the examination of incipient cases of tuberculosis.

Owing to the fact that some of the Hawera board members were absent yesterday, final consideration of the question was deferred until to-day, when it will be discussed by the full board. Members who heard the explanations of the delegation yesterday expressed themselves in favour of the establishment of a local clinic.

Associated with Dr. Short in placing the matter before hospital boards in Taranaki are Mr. J. K. Hornblow and Mr. A. J. Phillips respectively chairman and managing secretary of the Palmerston North board, which controls the sanatorium at Otaki for tubercular women patients. In placing his proposals before the board Dr. Shore said that at a conference at Wellington it was decided that the sanatoriums at Otaki and Pukeora should be used if practicable by hospital boards throughout the North Island, instead of each caring for its own tuberculosis patients as at present. To that end, the Palmerston North board had been appointed the governing body in charge of the Otaki sanatorium for women patients and control of the sanatorium for men at Pukeora had been vested with the Waipawa board. These sanatoriums, explained Dr. Shore, had been under the Department of Health but, although the department was still keenly interested in them, it was felt that the fact of handing them over to the control of hospital boards would encourage a better use of the facilities they offered. DECLINE IN DEATH RATE. The death rate from pulmonary tuberculosis in New Zealand in 1903 was 7.64 per 10,000, while this year the figures had declined to 3.49 per 10,000, said Dr. Shore. A similar decline was noticeable in other countries. According to statistics, middleaged persons were more prone to contract the disease. For every death that occurred there were 10 cases of active tuberculosis. Figures quoted by Dr. Shore showed that, although the movement had started in the South Island at a later date than in the North Island, the South Island was ahead of the North Island in organisation and equipment, 410 beds being available compared with 212. The average number of occupied beds in the South Island was 80 per cent, and in the North under 60 per cent. In discussing his proposals, Dr. Shore said it was desirable that each hospital board should establish clinics where incipient and suspected cases of pulmonary tuberculosis could be examined by the private practitioners of the town and the medical superintendent of the hospital. Dr. Francis, who was in charge of the Otaki sanatorium, would visit the clinics once every two months for the dual purpose of examining the cases and keeping a check on the patients who had passed out of the sanatoriums as cured. Dr. Shore gave his assurance that the sanatoriums were not being run for profit. He expressed the hope that the efforts of the Waipawa and Palmerston North boards would receive the support of other hospitals. HISTORY OF MOVEMENT. Mr. Hornblow traced the history of the movement He said the effort to stamp out tuberculosis was as much deserving of support as the movement to help crippled children. At a conference of hospital boards in 1926, said it was decided that more steps could be taken to cope with the disease. The question was again discussed at a conference of boards and medical men at Christchurch, the findings being submitted to the boards’ executives to discover what steps could be taken in the matter. A subsequent conference at Palmerston North decided that the care and treatment of tuberculosis cases was the responsibility of the individual hospital boards, It was found that the South Island was well organised for the care of such case's, but that further steps would have to be taken in the North Island. So that boards could obtain a first-hand knowledge of conditions, continued Mr. Hornblow, he and Mr. Phillips had been appointed to inspect the various sanatoriums. The result of their observations was a recommendation to the conference that the North Island be organised in groups to control the sanatoriums. This proposal was rejected by another conference of hospital board representatives.

His board, said Mr. Hornblow, had felt it should take over the responsibility for the women’s sanatorium at Otaki if the best results were to be achieved. This had been done by the board without placing any extra levies on the other public bodies for the upkeep of the institution. “We will continue to administer the Otaki sanatorium,” added Mr. Hornblow, "and any profits we may make will be returned in the form of reduced fees for the patients.” He explained that the proposal now before the Hawera board was that it should establish a clinic on the lines suggested by Dr. Shore. In reply, to a question by Mr. W. G. Simpson Mr. Phillips said that if the proposal were adopted by the board Dr. Francis would make a preliminary visit to Hawera to discuss the formation of a clinic with the local medical men, taking into consideration local conditions. It was suggested that the hospital board should write to the private practitioners to arrange a conference with Dr. Francis on the subject. The following members of the Hawera board were present at the conference: Messrs. W. G. Simpson, who was appointed chairman of the gathering, S. J. Bennett, L. O. Hooker, E. J. Gifford, A. G. Larcom and I. J. Bridger, and the medical superintendent, Dr. J. Cairney, and managing secretary, Mr. C. Harrison.