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Insulin for persons suffering from Diabetes.
Ministry of Health Circular 2734.
Arrangements under which Insulin may be supplied either free
or at reduced cost to persons suffering from Diabetes are available
under the National Health Insurance Acts, the Poor Law Acts, and
the Education Acts.
In Circular '2734, the Minister of Health pointed out that there
are certain other classes of persons for whom no public provision is
made apart from Poor Belief, and who find that the increase which
has occurred in the cost of insulin since the beginning of the war is
a serious burden.
The Minister advises that these classes, which include the
dependents of insured persons and women engaged on household
duties, can be dealt with under the provisions of the Public Health
Act, 1936, Section 177, under which, with the Minister's approval or
consent, a Local Authority may provide a temporary supply of
medicine for the poorer inhabitants of their District.
The Minister has now given the necessary approval or consent to
Local Authorities to provide supplies of insulin for persons suffering
from Diabetes among the poorer inhabitants of their District until
the termination of the present war.
The Council, having considered the Circular, decided to use the
powers thus obtained and adopted scales of income below or within
which applicants would be supplied with insulin free or at reduced
cost. They also gave public notice by advertisement in the local press
of the new powers and invited applications from persons of the
classes referred to.
At the end of the year, nine applications for insulin had been
received from persons suffering from Diabetes and, of these, seven
were supplied free or at reduced cost.
Water.
A piped supply of water from the mains of the South Essex
Waterworks Company is laid on to almost the whole of the houses in
this District, but, in some of the outlying part, private wells still
form the only source of supply. Many of these have been in use for
a great many years, and in general the supply is unfailing.
The water supplied by the Waterworks Company is maintained
at a high level of purity, and the supply has been adequate in
quantity. Consumers, however, have been asked to exercise due care
in not wasting the water.