TUBERCULAR SOLDIERS.

Taihape Daily Times, 1 September 1919, Page 3

TUBERCULAR SOLDIERS.

DlEPA‘l{.'l.‘ MENT CRITICISED. A CASE 1-‘R(‘)'i\-I C}'i"NTERBURY, CHISTOHUR-CH, Aug. 27. At 3 meeting ‘Of the North Canterbury Hospital Board to-day, the Public Health Committee reported in reference to the ease of a soldier suffering from tllbol'CUloh‘iS- The -assis"tant-director of military services for the Canterbury district had been referred to, and he suggested that treatment at the'Defence Department’s expense could not be authorised. The ‘opinion of the medical superintendent of the hospital (Dr. Fox) an‘d of Dr. Blackmore was that the man's condition was brought about by illness fr‘6m which he suffered whi.le on military service. The committee therefore asked permission to make representation elsewhere regarding the case. The secretary described the. case, which, briefly, was that the soldier left New Zealand with the Fifteenth Reinforccments. became ill, and developed meningitis at Durban. It was. decided to send the sol'dier back to the Dominion, and he had since become -5. permanout tubercular patient. Further, his pension had been reduced from £1 10/ to 15/ a week. A letter Was also read from Dr. Blackmore, medical director of tuberculosis institutions, stating ‘that’ several cases had occurred where Imperial "service or naval men had been sent to him suffering from" tuberculosis, -and mentioning that he un‘de.r~stood the Defence Department would not undertake the treatment of these men, although in some cases they were New Zealanders, and that it was quite certain their disability had been due to active service. Dr. Blaclrm-ore. suggested that representation should be made to the Ministe«r for Defence on the subject_ A member spoke in strong terms, and criticised the Defence Department. severely. “The fact is,” he said, .“these poor boys are passed on from one Department to va“nothe-I‘. There is altogether too much. red tape among the -officers of the Departments.” It was agreed to farward all the correspondencc in the matter to the Minister for Defence, with a’ request that he should «act without delay,