HC Deb 10 April 1951 vol 486 cc807-8
20. Mrs. Cullen

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he can yet make a further statement about the use of Swiss sanatoria for patients from Scotland.

Mr. McNeil

Parliament will shortly be invited to consider legislation enabling arrangements to be made under the National Health Service for giving treatment outside Great Britain to persons suffering from respiratory tuberculosis. For this year, from 150 to 200 beds in

asks could not be extracted without a disproportionate amount of work.

Swiss sanatoria will be made available for patients from Scotland, with the necessary transport facilities.

To minimise the travelling involved, the selected patients will normally be persons in need of at least six months' sanatorium care, but unlikely to require any major surgical operation. Treatment in Switzerland will be offered to persons recommended for sanatorium treatment in the ordinary way, where on medical grounds this is considered appropriate by the responsible tuberculosis physicians.

My right hon. Friend the Minister of Health asks me to say that he is making similar arrangements for patients from England and Wales.