TUBERCULOSIS

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 54, 27 November 1926, Page 9

TUBERCULOSIS

SUGGESTIONS FOR NATIONAL TREATMENT By telegraph —press association Dunedin, November 26. The Hospital Board received last night a long letter from Dr. Falconer concerning the treatment of tuberculosis and the desirability of pooling all sanatoria, the cost of treatment to be borne bv a special flat rate over the Dominion. He pointed out that the new Act making, as a “law of settlement,” three months’ residential quah-f.'-’tion, for admission to hospitals and sanatoria, instead of twelve months as previously, affected the financial position of the ’ North Canterbury Hospital Board, the Otago Board, and the various hospital boards administering sanatoria in the South Island. Incidentally the Dunedin Hospital was the hardest hit of all the central hospitals in the Dominion, the local ratepayers being called on to carry an unfair burden in providing accommodation for patients, essentially, though not legally, residents of districts outside of the hospital board s area. . . In order to carry out a Dominion scheme, lie suggested that four district tuberculosis boards be set up and also a nat.onal board, having seven members representing the district boards and three representing the Government. The lastnamed board would be responsible for the financial arrangements and also matters of policy. The matter was referred to a comn.ittcc, and it was alsc decided to point out to the Department the effect of the recent legislation in Otago.