Evening star., 1952-09-02
$93,834 Sought
For tuberculosis
Work in District
Home Care, Better
Laboratory Procedures
Asked by Seekinger
By Miriom Ottenbero

TSNSN " SSSN''SSt
By Miriom Gutenberg
Health Officer Daniel L. Seek
niger today sent the Commission
ers a $93.834 budget request to
meet the most urgent and imme-
diate needs" for controlling tuber-
culosis here.
He said the request represents
the basic minimal requirements to
fulfill the most glaring deficien-
cies" in the Districts tuberculosis
program.
He pointed out this request was
scaled down from the 100000
budget for tuberculosis control
presented to the Commissioners
July 2.
Commissioner Renah F. CANA
lier has already gone on record
in favor of adequate funds for
prompt diagnosis and care Of
tuberculosis victims. DR.. Seek
inger's new budget focuses on
those twin goals.
Need Declared Urgent.
Today, Commissioner Camalier
said he considered the need ur-
gent. Further, he has requested
DR.. Seckinger to see if any Health
Department funds can be divert
ed Immediately to expanded tu-
berculosis care. The budget re-
quest presented by the health
officer today is for inclusion in
the fiscal 1854 budget.
The new budget centers on
these two urgent and immediate
needs:
/. The operation of temporary
home care program for the treat
ment of active cases of tubercu-
losis where the patients cannot be
hospitalized for lack of beds.
2. The improvement in the lab
oratory procedures for the dag
nosis of tuberculosis.
For the Bureau of tuberculosis,
DR.. Seckinger requested four half
time physicians, one clerk-stenog-
rapher. two clerk-typists, $4,000
worth of drugs and $400 for trans
porting the doctors. Total, $34.195.
$33.361 for Laboratories.
For the Bureau, of Laboratories.
he requested one bacteriologist,
four technicians and one clerk
typist; $2,725 worth of supplies
and $6,446 worth of equipment.
Total: $33.361.
For the bureau of public health
nursing DR.. Seckinger asked for
six public health nurses, weekly
streetcar passes for their travel
and supplies. Total: $26,278.
Explaining the need for doctors
and nurses to give temporary
home care, DR.. Seckinger declared:
Hospital facilities at present
are not adequate in the District
Of Columbia to provide for all
tuberculosis patients urgently in
need Of modern treatment.
"As result of this. patients are
required to wait long periods of
time, up to five months frequently,
before having an opportunity to
have the therapy their condition
requires.
Home Care Imperative.
I'm order to prevent unneces-
sary deterioration of the condi-
ton of such persons and incurring
increased costs in eventual treat
ment Of the individual, it is man.
datory that the clinics undertake
a program Of temporary home
care for such persons while watt
ing definite hospital management"
He estimated that in 1851 some
866 of the newly discovered tu-
berculosis victims were eligible
and should have been hospitalized.
A continuing program adequate
to care for 200 persons awaiting
disqualification, he said, would re-
duce appreciably the number Of
patients becoming more ill be-
tween the time they are found to
have tuberculosis and the time
they are finally hospitalized.
This would in turn materially
reduce the hospital stay of such
persons and therefore the total
costs Of their eventual treatment"
he added.
Diagnosis Advances Cited.
In urging more staff and equip.
ment for the laboratory, DR.. Seek
niger cited advances in diagnosis
OF tuberculosis which stress the
Importance of bacteriological
study. He cited a revision of the
standards Of tuberculosis practice
issued by the National tuberculosis
Association which stated that
bacteriologic evidence is manda-
tory in the proper diagnosis Of the
disease.
But the Health Department, he
said, lacks the staff to do the work.
He said the Health Department
had an outstanding need for more
personnel and resources "in pur-
suit OF appropriate and modern
practice Of tuberculosis"
More nurses. he went on, were
needed in the clinics and the
homes to give nursing care, ad.
minister drugs, obtain specimens
for the laboratory, establish isola-
ton precautions to prevent spread
|of the disease, give skin tests for
tuberculosis to children. refer
patients to community agencies
for other aids and keep the Health
Department informed Of any in
fraction of communicable disease
regulations.