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6
present situation in relation to the vaccination of young
people with Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG). Here the robbing
of Ealing's right to control its own problems in its
own way seems, in my view, to be a government refusal to
allow a capable and intelligent Council the implementation
of its own considered opinions.
Tuberculosis is a social disease and must be linked
with the organisation of the community. Neither the
Regional Hospital Boards nor the vast automatism of a huge
County Council machine are suitable for handling close
family and personal infection. Everyone with experience
of controlling this disease would probably agree with me,
and yet in order that we may be all impressed into the
same mould these facts are ignored.
It has indeed been a sad period of readjustment that
has overtaken the public health services in the last ten
years and no doubt this is linked with the whole question
of Local Government reorganisation but we have had long
enough to learn of the folly that has been committed.
Notes are also included in the Report of other services
which are not the responsibility of the local Council but
since these are services which affect the general health
of the Borough I have no hesitation in including them in
my Annual Report in order that the members of the Council
may be aware of what is happening in the health services
that are out of their control.
May I once more take the opportunity in this Report
to express my appreciation of the staff, upon the work
performed and the excellent standard maintained throughout
the year.
Our loss of Sanitary Inspectors has been a great
handicap to us and it may well take several years to catch
up on the leeway that has accumulated. I am, however,
happy in the knowledge that the staff will do their utmost
to cope with the difficulties of the situation which is
not only being felt in Ealing but throughout the country
through this lack of suitable staff to undertake these
important sanitary duties.
Your obedient servant,
W. G. BOOTH,
Medical Officer of Health.