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among certain groups of immigrants to this country, no legal powers,
similar to those in force in the United States of America and certain
Commonwealth countries, were available to require a medical examination
and chest x-ray of immigrants, referred the matter to the Association
of Sea and Air Port Health Authorities of the British Isles of which
this Council is a member. Unfortunately the Medical Committee of the
Association did not feel able to recommend that further representations
should be made in the matter. The Metropolitan Boroughs' Standing Joint
Committee had already made unsuccessful representations to the Minister
on the subject.
The Standing Tuberculosis Advisory Committee of the Central Health
Service Council in the report for the year ended 31st December, 1959
state -
" The Committee, having examined the problem of tuberculosis among
immigrants on a number of occasions, agreed to put on record their
opinion that nothing short of a system of strict medical control of
immigration by the admitting country, such as was practised by the
United States and by several Commonwealth countries, was likely to be
fully effective in removing the danger of the spread of tuberculosis
in this country by infected persons entering it. If, as the Committee
was assured, this was not practicable in this country because of its
position as the centre of a Commonwealth, all of whose citizens had
joint United Kingdom citizenship, it followed that the impossibility
of the effective control of immigrants as a source of tuberculous
infection rested mainly upon political rather than medical consideration;
and that the only practicable steps which could be taken to
mitigate the danger were, first, to seek the co-operation of the
appropriate authorities in other countries in measures to be applied
before intending immigrants left their countries of origin and,
secondly, to ensure that existing facilities for the diagnosis, treatment
and control of tuberculosis in this country were brought to bear
in the most effective way in relation to immigrants after their
arrival."
The matter is to be the subject of further investigation by the
Standing Tuberculosis Advisory Committee in September 1960.
Conclusion
May I extend my thanks to the Chairmen and Members of the various
Committees for their consideration and encouragement throughout the