HEALTH SUPERVISION

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 299, 13 September 1919, Page 6

HEALTH SUPERVISION

' AN IMPORTANT PROPOSAL: By Telegraph—Special Correspondent. Palmerston North, September 12. An important departure from the system of health supervision-in the-Mima-wntu district, was embodied in a proposal laid before the meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board by Dr. E.' Whitaker. . He. moved: 'That all-..bor-oughs in the hospital . district. .lie . approached as to whether, tbev are willing to appoint local medical-men as medical officers of health to act with their sani-' tary committees, subject, to the, consent of-'the Public Health authorities being obtained to the arrangement.'' ' l),r. Whitaker pointed out that it was impossible for public health .mvestiga- - tion to be properly carried out under tho present system. There was a tremendous gap between having a .trained man in Wellington at the Department and a lay'inspector at Palmerston North, who was not a. medical man at'all. His point was that there should be trained medical men appointed throughout the district to carry on the important work of scientific health investigation in eascs--eom--iiig under the board's purview,-and the only way to secure these was. by--the appointment of resident medical men, at a small salary, to act as local medical officers. At 'present the nearest trained 1 medical officer under the Department was in Wellington. The work of investigation was left to a layman in the person of tbe infectious diseases inspector, X'lfo, quito apart from the fact that ho vas not a medical man,-had .too-much' ground to cover. He was entrusted with tlie Hole district, comprising severalcounties, and the result was that health Investigation in the district was not alwavs true, and never scientific. The motion was carried, members 6trongly supporting it.