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of the hand-out in case they come into contact with immigrants who have
not received one or apparently lost it.
(c) Arrangements are made in respect of those dependants who obtain entry
certificates in their country of origin for their names and destination
addresses to be entered on a tear-off slip in their passports. This slip will
be detached by the immigration authorities and passed to the medical
inspectors so that the port medical officer can send the address on to the
appropriate Medical Officer of Health in the same way as in the case of
holders of Ministry of Labour vouchers.
ft was hoped that these procedures would help to ensure that long-stay
immigrants would register with general practitioners at an early stage of their life
in this country and would not wait until they fell ill. ft was also hoped that those for
whom it was appropriate, would have an X-ray at an early stage.
The Middlesex Local Medical Committee agreed in 1966 that health visitors
may refer immigrants for chest X-ray direct to the chest clinics at the time of their
visit on the grounds of expediency and expedition, and this is becoming established
practice.
During the year, the names of 294 long-stay immigrants, resident in the London
Borough of Enfield, were notified. Successful visits were made to 166 of these but
some of the immigrants listed were unknown at the addresses given and others,
despite repeated visits, have not yet been contacted.
Under the Commonwealth Immigrants Act, 1968, Medical Inspectors at ports
of entry may now examine Commonwealth immigrant dependants and if they think
warranted in the interest of public health, can recommend that admission to this
country be conditional on the immigrants reporting to the Medical Officer of Health
at the destination area, with a view to further medical examination and, if necessary,
medical treatment. During the year, two persons came into Enfield subject to this
procedure and both reported to the Health Department in compliance with the law.
In each case, arrangements were immediately made for them to be X-rayed at
Edmonton Chest Clinic, with satisfactory results.
One effect of the increasing immigrant population on the work of the Health
Department, in addition to initial visits to newly arrived families described above, is
in respect of visits by public health inspectors to homes in multiple occupation. The
Council received grant aid in respect of the proportion of Commonwealth immigrants
in the borough, under Section 11 of the Local Government Act, 1966.
A useful register has been compiled and issued by the fmmigrants Advisory
Committee of the London Council of Social Services. The register lists interpreters
and social workers with special knowledge of overseas groups in the Greater London
Area who can be called upon when necessary.
In September, the Department of Health and Social Security issued a list of
leaflets produced by the department and by local authorities on various health matters
in languages appropriate to non-English speaking immigrants.
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