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49
So far as the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar is concerned, there is
the voluntary dispensary situate in 135, Bow Road, called the Borough of
Poplar Dispensary for the Prevention of Consumption, which is supported
entirely by voluntary contributions. This institution is working in coordination
with the Public Health Department of the Borough; has been
recognised by the Borough Council as the Tuberculosis Dispensary of the
Borough, the Council having appointed two of its members as representatives
on the Executive Committee of the Dispensary, and in addition, the
Medical Officer of Health for the Borough is ex officio a member of the
Committee; and, further, the Dispensary has been approved by the Local
Government Board, and has been in full working order for nearly two
years. The Staff consists of a principal medical officer (appointed on the
lines of the "Astor" report), an assistant medical officer, a nurse (or
health visitor), assistant nurse, dispenser, clerk and caretaker. The
medical officers of this institution are not attached to the Borough Council
Staff, but the Medical Officer of Health suggested that as matters
existed the Chief Medical Officer of the Dispensary (the Tuberculosis
Officer) might well be appointed Deputy Medical Officer of Health for the
Borough, he being fully qualified to act as a Medical Officer of Health in
the Metropolis, and the Medical Officer of Health of Poplar, at present,
having no deputy as he should have. In some other districts where the
dispensary is provided by the Local Authority, and the officers appointed
by that body, the Tuberculosis Officer is also the Assistant Medical Officer
of Health.
As the Dispensary is to serve the community of the Borough as a
whole, including insured and non-insured persons, and the payments
of the London Insurance Committee for treatment are to be made to the
Borough Council, it appears that the Borough Council should take care
that an adequate sum of money is provided by the Insurance Committee
for the County of London for the treatment of insured persons at the
Dispensary.
Up to 30th June, 1913, the Dispensary had treated 243 insured
persons whose attendances had numbered 1,564. The Dispensary's
applications for what is considered an adequate grant from the London
County Insurance Committee on account of this work having failed, the
Dispensary ceased to treat insured persons as from 30th June, 1913, and
it will be remembered that on July 3rd of that year the
Borough, upon the reception of the report of the Public Health and
Housing Committee, adopted an amendment as follows:—
"And that a protest be made to the Insurance Commissioners
against the benefits of the Tuberculosis Dispensary being denied
to insured persons, and urging that the necessary funds should be
provided to enable the Dispensary to treat such cases."