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Town Planning Officer to ascertain if additional points (up to 5)
could be recommended on medical grounds. The following shows
how the applications were dealt with: —
Applications Points Awarded in each Case
5 0
11
1 2
2 3
2 5
On receipt of these applications, it was often necessary to visit
the family concerned and to discuss various aspects of each case
with the family doctor and with the Housing Officer. I am indebted
to the doctors for their continued co-operation in this matter.
In addition, a number of applications were considered on account
of overcrowding and sanitary defects. Much work is involved in
investigating these cases in order to be certain that deserving cases
are given full consideration.
In special cases where the medical condition of the applicant
merited urgent rehousing but the award of extra "points" would not
give immediate help the case was brought before the Housing Lettings
Committee of the Council, for their decision, and in every instance
the medical reports were taken into account.
Health Education
Health Education has been, until recent years, a relatively
neglected subject, possibly because the public generally did not wish
to have unpleasant facts kept before them. However, wiser counsel
has prevailed and the importance of health education is now reaching
its true place in medical work, particularly in the public health field.
Of recent years we have seen campaigns in connection with food
hygiene and the handling of food, and in 1958, there was a national
campaign with particular reference to the guarding of fires in the
home. Reference is made elsewhere in this report to educational
activities in regard to food hygiene and clean air. Apart from these,
talks dealing with various aspects of the work of the Public Health
Department and on the prevention of accidents in the home were
given by the Medical Officer of Health and other members of the
staff to local organisations.
31