View report page

61
The Chancellor of the Exchequer recently received a
deputation from the County Councils' Association on the
question of a grant from public funds towards the necessary
expenses of these dispensaries. He said that, so far as
insured persons are concerned, it may be assumed that the
Authority running the scheme of institutional treatment
would receive the actual expenditure on the insured. Then
there are the non-insured two-thirds of the population; the
Government is willing to pay half the cost if the local
authorities will pay the other half; therefore for a full
scheme two-thirds will be paid otherwise than from the
rates—part from the County Insurance Committee and part
from the Grant.
The maintenance of a Tuberculosis Dispensary should
not exceed £1,000 per annum, so that the cost to the
Borough Council would be very little more than what is
now paid to Fairlight. As regards the initial expenditure,
I understand from Mr. Willis, the Assistant Secretary to
the Local Government Board, that the Government is
willing to provide four-fifths of the cost of establishing a
Dispensary.
My idea of a scheme for the establishment of a Tuberculosis
Dispensary is somewhat as follows:—
(a) An arrangement might be made with the
Governors of Queen Adelaide's Dispensary for the use
of their building on a certain number of afternoons
and evenings per week, or even every afternoon if
found necessary.
(b) A whole-time Tuberculosis Officer should be
appointed at a salary of £400 or £500 per annum.
This would secure a man of experience, in fact an
expert. His duty would be to treat all patients able to
attend at the Dispensary, to visit their homes, examine
contacts, advise as to the removal of unfavourable home
conditions, and report insanitary conditions to the
Medical Officer of Health.