Report of Hospitals Commission.

Hokitika Guardian, 11 October 1921, Page 4

Report of Hospitals Commission.

IVKM.i \G ; (tx. r ( . ti - ,Tl*e reiiorl of the' Hosni'afs’ Coili"ossion was laid on the table of t lie Mouse of Kepre-.niati'.c-i this afterno a. Its appearance precipitated a disoassicui on health matiers geite-aHv. The .Minister of Health film Hon ' . J. Pan ), in the course of his replv. said that the discussion had wandered I'rnm the subject matter of the report. 1 1'e ( ommission had heea appointed to ad-. I:,c the Government ehiclly in regard to the payment of subsidies. He did not say that the Government was going to adopt all the reecmmcmlnUons, but many of them were of ;i nature to warrant legislation, an I Bill -embodying some of the recommendation.. wns now li-ing drawn.

I ill niug to , ■<- ijiiestiou ol eoiisump"o". I he Minister said that a great deal had licvn done in this c-ountrv already to oli.vk it. Several sanatoria "c-re working under the Health l)c----p:i rl in on t, and we:o Driving verv satis* tnetory results in the tioatmrat c»i‘ tubercular diseases. Tin* I’ukcurn Sana* \* ?i: **‘* ! 'iii!t fur the sold,Vis, bad In en handed over* to tlio Health Depart* i:oiit, and was already accommodating nearly 100 male civilian patients. lie t .ion-la that event nail v it would ho a’ !e to take all the male patients from t:a* North Island. There was s:n excellent institution for women at (Haiti.

lUi tu another point that had heett raised by mem hers in the course of the discussion, the .Minister said that he recognised it was harmfid and undesirable that persons suffering from tubercular disease should he allowed »v> roam about the country, use public c mveyauees, ami stay at hotels and boarding-houses. The general community ran risks from this cause, hut it was difficult to suggest a remedy that could he applied effectively. To take charge of every man and woman suffering from consumption would involve legislation, and he did not know that the country had gone as far as that. He was was prepared to admit that the interests of ihe Dominion might require sumo legislation that would enable the Health Department and the hospital authorities to control in some elliciont manner those people* who were a danger to their neighbours. As for cancer, lie did not think that New Zealand could do much in the way of rose a roll. The best medical skill ami scientific knowledge were being brought to bear upon the problem in the older countries, and the New Zealand Health Department was keeping in touch with the results.