TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL

Chronicle (Levin), 15 July 1948, Page 6

TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL

Press Association)

.♦ ' , , • A t ^ Wide Powers Provided In New Legislation

(Per

WELLINGTON, July 14Wide powers to provide for the better treatment and care of persons suffering from tubereulosis, and to prevent the spread of the. disease, arecontained in the Tubereulosis BilTwhich was introduced and read a first time in the House of Bepresentatives today. They impose obligations on medical practitioners, Medical Officers of Health and Hospital Boards. Medical practitioners wlio have reason to believe that any person professionaily attended by them, may be suffering from tubereulosis, are required to notify the Medical Offieer of Health accordingly. If satisfied that tlie patient lias the disease in an aetive forin and is likely to infect others, tlie.- doccor shall inform tlie patient, person nursing the patient and'. the wife,' husband, parent, or guardian of the patient if residing oh tlie premises. « The intended discharge of a tubereulosis patient from an institution anct tlie patient *s address, shall bfe notiiied to tlie Medical Offieer of Health. Hasters of coastal ships in port are required to notify the Port Health Offieer of anv suspected case of tubereulosis on board and Eegistrars of Deaths must advise Medical Officers of Health of any deaths from the disease. s

Medical Officers of Health are re-. quired to see that tubereulosis patients roceive proper treatment and supervision whether in an institution or not. They must also talce steps, as far 1 as possible, to trace the source of in- t feetio.n and contacts and have the lat- j; ter medically examined with a view to t tlieir treatment and supervision, includ- I ing voluntary immunisation by vaccine. Medical Officers' of Health are given power of ent'ry to any premises occupied by a tubereulosis patient or contact and are also empo'v^ered to give directions considered necessary to pre- I vent the spread of the infeetion. I The functions of Hospital Boards I are prescribed in the Bill. The Minister of Health may require Hospital 1 Boards to maintain tubereulosis clinics ' and to provide equipment and services including X-ray and bacteriological laboratorv equipment for the treatment and diagnosis. The nequirement of the Minister may relate to in?patients qr out-patients or to botli classes .of patients. The jMinister may also establisli and maintain clinics for tlie treatuieut of the disease and encourage the establisliment of associations for the purpose of preventing its spread and securing the aftercare of victiins of the disease. yubsidi^h may be granted t'or this purpose. The isolation up to three nionths, oi patients likely to spread tlie infeetion, can he enforced by Medical Officers of Health tli rough a Magistorial order. Tliere is a riglit of appeal ugainst isolation to a fudge of^^the Bupreme Court in elianibcrs. . The Bill provides for vocational guidance assistance and industrial rehabilitation courses for tubereulosis sufferers wishing to undertake employment or work 011 their own aecount, of a kind suited to their plivsical condition, age, experience and general qualiiication. The Minister is einpowered to. provide special accomniodatiou in thc way of shelters or portable liuts, for the use of tubereulosis patients. liepairs or structural .additions may be made to dwelling houses in whicli tubereulosis patients rcside. Hospital Boards are authorised to inalce paynients to employees contraeting tubereulosis in tlie course ot their duties. It is an offence to resist, obstruct or deceive any person in the exercise of any of the powers conferred hy the Bill. The penalties for oflfences are a fine up to £20 and in the case of a cohtinuing offence, a further fine o£_£2 for every day the offence continues. iiegulations may be made under tlie Bill prescribing treatment, control and supervision of tubereulosis patients, the precautions to be taken and otlier proeedures to be followed for impleinenting the legislation. The Bill is to come intch"force on April 1, 1949. The reasons i'or the introduction of the Bill were given by the Minister, Miss Howard. -She said it would enahle various forms of the disease to he registered and classified in a unlform manner so that epidemiological control could he exercised. It would permit more prompt and effective treatment of notified cases and enahled others to be detected at an early stage. The public generally required a greater knowledge of the disease. Those persons who, through ignorance or otherwise, refused to follow \he advice given,. might,-- in a few instances, have to he required to conform to the aqcepted practice in the community and the national interests. At present there was no p.ractical power to protect individuals or the cominuiiity aud the Bill provided for that eventuality. Up to the present Only , administrative action has been in existence to control tubereulosis and eertain weaknesses had beeome appar- ■ ent. To effet uiiiform control the sup- | port of legislation was required to 1 procure a fall in the incidence ancf mortality, which should assist materiallv towards a complete and.permanent eradication of the disease. 1 -