MORE COULD BE DONE

Timaru Herald, Volume CXLIII, Issue 20667, 4 March 1937, Page 8

MORE COULD BE DONE

TREATMENT OF T.B. HOSPITAL BOARDS PASS REMITS A unanimous desire that more should be done to deal with tuberculosis in the Dominion was expressed by the conference of the New Zealand Hospital Boards’ Association in Timaru yesterday, when two remits on the subject were adopted. On behalf of the'Grey Board, Mr J. Smeaton moved: “That the treatment of T.B. be dealt with on a national basis and legislation developed with the idea of having this disease compulsorily treated, and that adequate means be adopted for the purpose of educating the public as to the grave dangers arising from neglect.” The main idea underlying the remit was to eliminate much of the preventable misery caused through the scourge not only to the patient, but to the patients’ dependants, said Mr Smeaton. For the last five years his Board had paid for the treatment of patients in sanatoria nearly £9OOO, and the fees recovered had not exceeded £2OOO. In 50 per cent of the cases, the Board not only had to pay the fees but had also to support the dependants who were left behind. The Board considered that it was undesirable that workers when incapacitated by reason of the illness—and one ’ that unlike others could not be shammed —from earning a living, were practically branded as paupers when they and their dependants had to seek charitable aid, even though the neglect to make provision against such contingencies could be attributed to the patient himself. “Even from a purely material point of view, it is not in the interests of society that its workers, or any portion of them should suffer industrial degradation, and although hospital boards as a whole endeavour to make provision for these unfortunates I think the modern tendency should be to include them under a pension scheme and avoid any risk of damaging the self respect or character of the recipient,” said Mr Smeaton. If such a scheme were adopted it would be found that persons suffering from the disease would for that very reason seek earlier treatment, and obviate the grave danger to themselves and others arising through neglect. Inquiry Asked For. The Hon. F. Waite (South Otago) moved the following remit: “That the conference considers the present system of allowing chronic T.B. patients to mix freely with their families and the public is not satisfactory and calls upon the Government to institute inquiry into the incidence of chronic T.B. with a view to evolving a scheme whereby the dangers of infection shall be largely eliminated.” Mr Waite said that members of the smaller hospital boards came very closely in contact with the T.B. problem, for the sufferers were not only patients but were their friends and neighbours. They knew of their mental and physical sufferings, and they knew, from attending meetings of the Finance Committee, how costly the disease was to many of the patients; and to those who could not pay they knew the worry of having, a Bill of hundreds of pounds accumulated, or the cost of sanatorium treatment. They appreciated to the full all the work—preventive and curative. They’ had some knowledge of the work that was now being done, but they also knew that much more might be done. That New Zealand had the lowest death rate in the world from T.B. was a matter for congratulation. They had natural advantages in New Zealand and they should have the best record in the world. A good deal was known of T.B. in all its phases. They should be doing better than they were. The trouble, however, was that there was too much public apathy, said Mr Waite. There were less than four deaths a week in New Zealand from motor accidents and 11 from T.B. “We believe that it is possible to give the world an object lesson in cleaning up T.B. in a generation,” he said. “Some such organisation as is suggested in the Fitchett Report of 1928 would servedividing the Dominion into four districts, with medical officers and visiting nurses in each area.” Mr Waite suggested the following types of treatment: —

(a) Preventive: Finding children or others who might be attacked by T.B. and giving them suitable treatment at sunshine schools, in permanent health camps or in farm schools. (b) Curative institutions like Watpiata, where treatment of a case in the earlier stage would be undertaken. (c) Treatment of the so-called chronics. To-day there is an air of hopelessness about those cases. (d) Treatment for surgical cases Considerations for any suggested legislation were:— 1— A more complete system of notification. 2 Prohibition of any open case of T.B. being treated in an hotel or boarding-house. 3 Provision of temporary pension to any breadwinner undergoing treatment, and provision for his wife and children Support for Mr Waite’s remarks were offered by Mrs S. Snow (Wellington) who contended that contacts were not followed up as they should. Many young men and women did not know that they had T.B. They were in hospital with pneumonia and like complaints and when they were discharged there were no convalescent homes for them to enter. Some commenced work again before they were properly fit. The remits were unanimously adopted.