THE SUPPLY OF DOCTORS

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 165, 15 July 1941, Page 6

THE SUPPLY OF DOCTORS

LITTLE life was injected into the proceedings of the Hospital Board last night, and several controversial subjects were openly discussed This is in contrast with the usual procedure at local body meetings At most of them anything likely to provoke discussion is shelved to a committee, whose report is adopted as a matter of formality with the result that neither the general public nor the members of the board know anything of what is really going on. It is refreshing to find a chairman who is ready to face up to open discussion and to express and to act upon a bold opinion. None of the matters under discussion tL 8 * ,113 , 1 ,? oard ,ast ni S ht was so important as that relating to the retention of the remaining members of the resident staff until more flachPfi °7u nt£ ng , en \ entS f ?V he . future irking of the hospYtal are beride tIA ?k! n/ eatU f re i° f h °?P ital . con trol are relatively unimportant Desiae this—the care of the patient is the vital issue and that rannnt be efficiently provided if the^institution is to be deSJ men? Th^nn^h" , W , Uh "? fi ad «J u «e arrangements for thS replace ment. The number of qualified surgeons and physicians necessary has »i 7-J r f edUcil ? e minimum - and when that minimum rapprolcned the avanawf' V^,* 1 '" 10 ? 1 for the training of more is n« available. But a hundred students in their final vear are not nwrksufficient to provide for the needs of all the hospitals in New Zealand fn^hi!. 8 ' Wl J i,e , th l re £ re *?"&* faci for the tuning ofmole men in other parts of the Dominion, the lack of these facilities in Dunedin circumscribes the whole medical training service! it would be Ssstble n,m r J« erta,n ° f , th f P re,i :niinary studies have been passed to reli?vl the Dunedin school of much of the later work, which would be mr.ro efficiently done in some of the larger hospitals whew members of the profession are able to demonstrate, with the nlcesSS lec ™« ue <* curative methods. This must rt^ffil? ~0 , 1, !. , "" 1 e action of tne Au ckland Board in declining further depletions of its trained men until the final stages of the education nf To da r v will h e ., COni h Pleted A U !l der more fav conditionrS exis todaj, will help the authorities to realise the situation.