TUBERCULAR SOLDIERS

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 210, 31 May 1920, Page 4

TUBERCULAR SOLDIERS

SYMPATHY OF R.S.A

BETTER TREATMENT DE-

MANDED

The annual conference of the T*ew Zealand Returned Soldiers' Association on Saturday afternoon discussed the question of tubercular patients. Dr E. Boxer, the president, wicl wished all T.B. men throughout tho country to understand that the associfttion had their best interests at heart. Ho felt more in sympathy with the men who had tubercular trouble than with a man who had lost a limb. If in the past the association had not devoted more attention to the T.B. cases, became its time had been taken up with other matters, he asked the T.B. men to believe that the association would hack up every possible way and means whereby the future of the T.B. soldier could bo made brighter, and whereby such a man could bccome an economic asset to tno country instead of a drain rP on Mr '11. J. Aeltins (Waimate) brought forward the resolutions passed at the recent T.B. conference and explained them in detail. .. , . Tho conference decided, to urge that T.B. men, on being discharged iiom sanatoria, should bp .provided by the defence Department with perman .ntly suit able shelters, properly furnished with bed, bedding, etc.-, that where a patient owns a house having a verandah the JJe fenco Department defray tho expenses of having Hie verandah glassed in and furnished with bedding, etc.; that tl.fe per soiinel of all sanatoria snonld. wheie possible, bo ex-T.B. men; that the Reparation Department is tn be notified bj tl sanatorium medical olhcer six vious to the discharge of ever) patien., that compulsory examination ;he maue everv six' months [not for pension) bj a specialist., or by tho who treated the man's case, nnd that the D Denartmeiit bo responsible for the trans nortatioii of such patients to the nearest specialist; that it be a recommendation to the D.G.M.S. to send a chest, expeit fhzUh Now S ; tho DGM°S that the present system of incurables in sanatoria m separate shelters be substituted by a ward s> stem. Mr. Aekins remarked in the couise discussion Mint it was..«««»»«" fox chest expert to examine nil clm witnout de ay. Many C.P-D.L would bo wanted for2syears. ft necessarv that men should "be examined and treated BoTo they reached an incurable eta„e. "A Chest Sweep Up." Dr Boxer: The ranks of tho T.B.'s are KUht'to be not carried out itsjiutj "If Brigadier-General ' send a chest .expert round wo get the sanatoria full foi him. rema ° AnotheSgate stated that delay had occurred in sending some men tor ti<* . ment. He knew ot the lase ■ cufferiiiff cv-soldier who was found to be suttering from T.B. The Defence authorities agreed to 'end him to a! sanatorium, but owii , io delay in doing so the man was sent to a cemetery instead. ■ . . .. With rcard to vocational -raining, ' was resolved that steps 'be taken immediate v to have the Pukeora.farm at the sanatorium made into a training ground for T.B. men's future cicciipations an tint vocational training should be taken from the Defence Department and placed in the hands of the Itepatriat.on DepartTn'thc matter of T.B. men's pensions, conference resolved that where a . b P e y"ii st certifies a man as incurable h<? shall bo granted a permanent full pons on tor iif«. that all T.B. men on boni{?. discharged from sanatoria shall .receive a full! and supplementary pension for a, period of twelve months, and that tn r be reviewed for pension annuallj.; and, , that, tho specialist's recummomanon jccarding re-examination be adheied -C, and not that of the Pensions Board. *Repatriation of T.B. men was then ' discussal, it being decided that ' alely on discharge a .patient should u ' able to start on his occupation, <in<i [ that the Repatriation Denart;"e»t ei\sure that there is no dela}. It 1 also resolved that the Government be 1 a«ked to appoint four T.B. men to tho after-care branch, one to each . centrt, ' nnd that a T.B. man of sanatorium experience be, appointed to supervise tho work of. the aiter-care branch from repatriation headquarter. « gard to this latter resolution, it was stated that the interests of 1.8. ni el * wold-best be watched by men. whoi had sanatorium experience ratliei lh; l by the ordinary Repatriation Boa I w hose 5 officials had not passed tluough sana - repatriation resolutions adopt- ) <vl "\vero tts follow i , i A 3 That the Repatriation Department b asked to immediately make » kail if deemed suitable, a competent l training ground for T.B. men who. in--9 tend to follow the occupations taught a there. That men remain in tram. „ d until certified as competent by their, r specialist instructors. That the J* 0 patrlation Department should couier 1 with- the Lands Department and find a land of an acreage suitable to the■ ap pl-cant and subject to lie approval, and, further, that a. sintab o home bo erected for him. That in the I ovent of recurrence of a mans after having been succcssiully repatriat I 2d it should bo an obligation of tha. ? Repatriation Department to provd® competent substitute irorn the Ee P^ ttl^ f '* I tion Training Farm, for the purpose of ? carrying on that man's business while detained in a sanatorium.

Each His Own Employer. Dr. Boxer 'stated that in approaching ihe T.B. question the point ot making; well man his own employer should not: be overlooked. A man iwßht have tha greatest willingness in the world, but: sometimes, on account of his disability lie would not always be able to woik, as hard for an employer as he would liko to do. , . A deputation will wait on the l'nnio Minister to-day to place tho re™ lts the conference regarding l.H.s betoio him and it was recommended that stms be made of the point mentioned by Dr.; Bif was decided that ft special medical OMnmittee of five be sot up by the N.Z.R.S.A. to act in an advisory capa-, citv to headquarters, 'ho personnel to. cn.sist of three returned chest experts and two T.B. patients. . The conferonce also resolved that where; nudical superintendents of sanatoria ie-j commend that treatment in Australia, or elsewhere, would bo benetieial to 1.8. patients, the cost of thfir treatment ami trai'suortation abroad should bo borne by the Government. The conference accorded a. hearty vote of thanks to the general secretary (Mr. ,T. Pow) for tho able manner in which, lie had presided over the T.B. conference.