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365
The Tuberculosis After-Care Committee appointed by the
Borough Councils of Hackney and Stoke Newington rendered
valuable services during the year. The address of the Secretary
(Mrs. Hebert), is 38, Pembury Road, Clapton, E.5.
During the year a Tuberculosis Dispensary Advisory Committee
was formed, as provided for the original Agreement between the
parties concerned. This Committee consists of representatives of
the Boroughs of Hackney and Stoke Newington, and of the Metropolitan
Hospital. The Stoke Newington representatives on this
Committee are Councillors Barnard and Eve and Alderman Ostlere.
At the end of the year the Ministry of Health issued a Circular
which directed attention to certain deficiencies in the existing
Dispensary services in London, and at the same time offered suggestions
as to the lines on which the services should be improved.
These criticisms and suggestions will be duly considered by the
recently appointed Tuberculosis Sub-Committee, but it may be
well to here point out that the Circular suggests that as a normal
basis there should be one whole-time Tuberculosis Officer to about
every 160 deaths from tuberculosis per annum; that it is desirable
that at least one evening session in each week should be arranged
at each Dispensary, and the question should be considered of
instituting a special session on Saturday morning, or at some other
suitable time out of school hours for children attending schools;
that efforts should be made to introduce at Dispensaries a system
by which patients would be seen, if practicable, by individual
appointment, or other means should be adopted to reduce to a
minimum the time during which patients are kept waiting at the
Dispensary; and that the Tuberculosis Medical Officer should
actually visit, at least once, the home of each patient, unless he
considers that in the interests of the patients such a visit would
be undesirable.