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12.
Essential for the proper working of a modern and effective Health Service- that it should be fully protected from political influences. Such a Service ought to be a purely technical service having at its head a Permanent Technical Chief and form the Advisary and executive organ of the Government on health questions.
It is impossible to form a modern Public Health Service without requiring Pub- lic Health Officers to give the whole of their time to the requirements of the service or without ensuring that they should receive adequate pay.
A special committee should be set up with the object of studying Greek Sani- tary legislation in order to modify existing laws and render the legislation easier of comprehension and facilitate its enforcement,
CESTRAL ADMINISTRATION,
The existing Undersecretariat of State for Health should continue to function until the permanent Hellenic Health Service begins to function. It should be attached to the Prime Ministers Office. It should include :—
1. The present administrative sections of the Undersecretariat for
Health. These would have to undertake :-
(a) General direction of the local sanitary services in those parts of Greece which are not included in the districts selected for the application of the scheme. This general direction should include questions of personnel and finance, as well as the preparation of the budget in respect of those districts. (b) The control of Hospitals in the same districts. (c) Port Sanitary Service.
(d) Registration of Doctors, pharmacists, midwives, etc.
2. The various health services of the Ministries of the Interior, Com- munications, Public Instruction and Justice. The Ministry of Na- tional economy would retain its service of factory inspection and industrial hygiene.
3. The Athens Centre-consisting of the Central Technical Service and
the School for Hygiene.
New Technical Services and. School of Hygiene referred to as the Athens Cen- tre will be constituted as soon as the necessary staff of Directors can assume their posts as the Nucleus of the future Permanent Health Service.
The functions of the Centre will be
(a) To direct and administer the public health work in the districts selected for the application of the scheme. under the authority of the Under Secretary of State for Health.
(b) To train personnel all classes of public health officials.
(c) To advise the head of the Central Sanitary Administration on all
matters in the field of public health
The Centre will be composed in the beginning of five divisions:-
1. Division of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine.
HEALTH SERVICE OF THE PREFECTURES.
The
The new plan of organisation will consist essentially in transforming the purely bureaucratic prefectural health organisation into a system of Health Centres. Medical Officer of the prefecture will organise in selected regions an average of three to five of these centres per prefecture :-
1. One or more dispensaries for malaria, maternal and infant welfare.
school health clinic.
2 A health visiting service
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3. A service of sanitary inspection especially for the minor sanitation in
villages and towns
4. A public hall for instruction and recreation.
5. Shower baths and a small pharmacy are desirable.
ATHENS PIRAEUS.
.
Metropolitan Health Service. The duties and powers of this service include :---
(a) The enforcement of general sanitary laws and local regulations. (b) Supervision of the public health and a study of vital statistics (c) Supervision of all communicable diseases.
(d) Maternal and infant welfare. including children of pre school age. (e) Supervision of water supplies, milk products and other foods, in- spection of places where such foods are prepared including mar- kets and slaughter houses.
(f) Supervision of the sanitary conditions of workshops and factories. (g) Provision of Laboratory Service for Communicable and occupational
diseases.
(h) Sanitary supervision of hospitals and dispensaries. Co-ordination
of all hospitals services.
(The right to enter private property to determine whether it is fit for habitation or where there is reason to suspect the presence of a case of infectious disease.
(1) All public health activities at present performed by other state de-
partments.
() Preparation of local health regulations.
There should be an advisarv hoard appointed by the head of the Central Health Service. The Chief Medical Officer should attend the meetings of the Board.
This Board should include the following members :--
The Mayor of Athens.
The Mayor of Piraeus.
The Chief of Police.
The Inspector of Labour.
The School Inspector.
A Representative of the Labour Unions.
A Physician.
A Merchant Director of Industry or other Member of the Chamber of
Commerce.
A Representative (preferably a woman) of private health agencies.
The functions of the Board will be to advise the Head of the Central Sani- tary Administration, and the Chief Health Officer of the Metropolitan Area.
Health Districts-To facilitate the carrying out of the functions of the service it appears to be necessary to appoint district health officers who would be respon- sible to the Chief Medical Officer of the Metropolitan area.
SCHEME FOR THE PERMANENT HELLENIC HEALTH SERVICE.
A Director General will be appointed
There will be an appointments committee consisting of :-
The Permanent Head of the Service (Director General). Director of the School of Hygiene.
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