TUBERCULOSIS RIFE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 30, 19 February 1937, Page 6

TUBERCULOSIS RIFE

-Presa A8sociation.)

» Dangerous Position In Southland BOARD MEMBER'S FEARS

(By Telegraph—

INVERCARGILL, Last Night. Alarm at the number of tuberculaf patients in Southland was expressed by the chairman (Mr. T. Golden), st the monthly meeting of the So-ufhland Hospital Board to-day. It was stated thatj at present there were 60 Southland' /patients in Waipiata sanatorinm, znorej than half of the total number the insti-l jtution wa3 supposed to hold. "The time has come," said the chairman, "when we need an institution for the treatment of tubercular cases too far advanced for admission to Waipiata. At present little or no provision is made for those patients bnt if any hea'dway is to be made in checking >the spread of the disease, early stepa will have to be taken to segregate1 these sufferers. ; A comparison with the Wallace distriet shows Southland is even a worse light," the chairman con- : tinued. "They have the same type of people as us living under the same conditions yet tho number of Wallace patients in Waipiata is very small. It is up to the Health Department to make a thorough investigation into conditions in Southland to ascertain, if possible, why tuberculosis is so rife here. If any other Hospital Board disfrict had as many patients as Southland/ Waipiata would be swamped by thej numbers seeking admission. As it is we' are only entitled to have 36 patientsj in the institution. " The secretary (Mr. T. Pryde) said / that New Zealand had the lowcst death) rate in the world from tuberculosis. "And Dr. McICibbin, medical officer of! health at Dunedin, lias suggested," hti added, "that Southland 's big propor« tion of tubercular patients can prob-'i ably be attributed in s"ome measure toi the energy of its medical superintendent who has patients admitted to tho] sanatorium. before the disease is advanced." .