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10
This work is additional to the work previously carried out
for the Ministry of Health under the Aliens Orders.
After consultation with the Ministry of Health the previous
arrangement, whereby a part-time medical officer was employed
for six hours daily, was terminated, and an additional wholetime
assistant medical officer of health was appointed to reside at
the Borough Isolation Hospital and to devote the major portion
of his time to airport duties. Besides this medical officer there
is a rota of four other whole-time assistant medical officers who
take portions of their duty at the airport. By this means a
medical officer is always on duty throughout the 24 hours,
although he does not necessarily stay at the airport throughout
the period of his duty time.
As the Borough Hospital is within 7 minutes' car ride from
the airport, if a medical officer is required at any time when one
is not actually at the airport, the airport authorities—who week
by week are given the rota list of doctors on duty and their
telephone numbers—can readily obtain one.
Vaccination Acts.
During the year the practice has been followed of applying
for summonses against defaulters who have not had their children
vaccinated and who, in spite of repeated warnings, have failed
to obtain the necessary statutory Declaration of Objection to
Vaccination. The purpose of this has not been to enforce
vaccination but to enforce compliance with the law. Even if
Vaccination law is unsatisfactory, it is rendered even more so it
persons feel that it can be disregarded without any consequences.
Miscellaneous.
Since the outbreak of Typhoid Fever in 1937, the Council
have ordered that all employees of the Water Department and
any new employees to that Department were to be medically
examined and have a blood test (Widal) taken. Those showing
positive blood tests were to have an additional examination to
ascertain if they might be carriers of the organism. Two hundred
and three examinations have been made during 1938.
In addition the Medical Officer of Health has been instructed
to examine all employees who did not desire examination by a
private medical man, or who had no private doctor, for purposes of
superannuation. For this purpose 155 examinations were made.