Tuberculosis services in Canada.

  • Canada. Department of National Health and Welfare
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Tuberculosis services in Canada. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    44/90 (page 26)
    At St. John's, free diagnostic clinics are held daily for patients referred by private physicians and for suspected cases and contacts. Both clinical and x-ray examinations are available to all suspects and mass x-ray surveys are conducted for special groups. A mobile x-ray team convenes clinics at Harbour Grace every second month. Staff nurses visit the homes of contacts to advise on home care and essential precautions for active cases pending admission. Similar diagnostic and public health services are provided by the West Coast Sanatorium. Most of the general hospitals Pere the cottage hospitals) have stationary x-ray equipment. The stand- ard chest plates are sent for interpretation either to the Dispensary or the West Coast Sanatorium. District public health nurses attempt to trace contacts and visit patients at home but have little time for such work. The two general hospitals at Twillingate and St. Anthony have more extensive facilities. In addition to the stationary X-ray apparatus, they also maintain mobile x-ray units and specialist staff for clinical examination of patients from the Notre Dame Bay area and the northern part of the island. Although operated independently, they receive financial assistance from the province in return for diagnostic and limited survey work. The B.C.G. vaccination program which until 1950 had been restricted to the St. John's area has been extended to include the entire province. Vaccination’ is®iimigted to special groups such as school children, contacts (oF tuberculous patients, student nurses and the newborn babies of tuberculous mothers. The Newfoundland Tuberculosis Association cooperates closely with the province, especially in determining survey policies. The provincial Department of Health supplies films for x-ray work and the Association employs a physician who reads some plates; others are sent to St. John's or Corner Brook. Several mobile units in- cluding a railway coach, a bus and a motor vessel serve outlying districts. The motor vessel's medical team (1) Prior to 19149 when Newfoundland became a Canadian province, the Newfoundland Tuberculosis Association made grants from its Christmas Seal funds to some cottage hospitals for x-ray equipment; since then, other cottage hospitals have been equipped and tech- nicians trained with federal aid. (2) Nfld. Annual Report of the Department of Health, eee sey