“Failures A Factor In Hospital Staff Shortage”

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30044, 31 January 1963, Page 12

“Failures A Factor In Hospital Staff Shortage”

(New Zeeland Preet Association)

WELLINGTON. Jan. 30. The over-all shortage of house surgeons in New Zealand was acute and had been emphasised this year by a higher proportion of failures in the final examination, said the Minister of Health (Mr McKay) tonight. He was commenting on a reported shortage W house surgeons in the employ of the Southland Hospital Board.

Mr McKay said the allocation erf th«« available house surgeons on the basis of bed occupancy was a much fairer system than allocation on a population basis as advocated by the Southland Hospital Board. Mr McKay said the allocation of bouse surgeons to aH hospitals was made by a committee comprising three medical superintendents and three senior officers of the Health Department The committee had been set up at the request of the Medical Superintendents' Association. The committee had revised the establishment of house surgeons that would become available at the end of WO on the basis of each hospital’s bed occupancy, patient turn-over and the average stay of patients, taking into consideration any special

The Southland beard, which administered the Kew

and Gore hospitals, was allocated five bouse surgeons plus a sixth to be recruited from overseas. This was the same as last year. Kew now had. three house surgeons and a sixth-year medical student acting as a house surgeon and Gore Hospital had one home surgeon. The board had another house surgeon arriving from overseas this year. This filled its allocation. “The Southland board is not the only board faced with these difficulties? said Mr

He added that it was not feasible to allocate bouse surgeons on a population basis because there was a higher proportion of sick people in

It was hoped that the oversea* study award scheme introduced by the Government Lot year would induce more young doctors to stay in hospital service, said Mr McKay.

‘ - “To me the extraordinary ; thing is not that so many people remain unmarried, but that no many rush torn marriage as they might tush into a station to catch a train. And if you catch the wrong train, whet then? AD you have to comfort you is the Met that you have traveled.” —Robert Hichsre