The post-war tuberculosis program in the Philippines.

The problems faced by the Philippine Commonwealth government at the end of the Second World War included not only those resulting from actual hostilities, but many problems arising from the failure of the Public Health program before the war broke out. In 1941 this program had deteriorated badly and equipment was already obsolete. As a consequence, the danger of large-scale epidemics was great by 1945. The United States came to the assistance of the battered country shortly after the war ended; a budget of $5,000,000 was appropriated for public health rehabilitation. Of this sum, $1,000,000 was specifically set aside for tuberculosis control, since this had long been one of the chief public health problems in the Philippines. The fund was to be administered by the Department of Health of the Philippine Commonwealth and the United States Public Health Service; the Philippine government obligated itself to carry on the program alone at the end of five years. The tuberculosis control program was worked out by Dr. Leroy K. Young, of the United States Public Health Service, and representatives of various local organizations interested in tuberculosis control. The writer was present representing the director of the Bureau of Health. It was realized by all concerned that the sum allotted was small, in terms of the size of the population (about 20,000,000) of the Philippines, and the seriousness of the tuberculosis hazard. Various approaches were considered, but It was finally decided to adopt Dr. Young’s suggestion, and concentrate upon the control program which was proving so successful in the United States at that time-mass chest radiography.