‘Shortage Of Physicians'

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30530, 27 August 1964, Page 8

‘Shortage Of Physicians '

The North Canterbury Hospital Board area was short of physicians, said Dr. L. M. Berry, the medical superintendent-in-chief, at yesterday’s board meeting.

To attract young physicians and to attract even its own registrars now overseas to return and fill vacancies,. the board must fall in with the world trend and offer increasing full-time or increasing part-time employment He recommended that units be established for the development of various specialities within the field of medicine, shared by Princess Margaret Hospital and Christchurch Hospital. Dr. Berry said suitable office, laboratory and investigation areas should be provided in both hospitals for the development of medicine along modern lines, including research facilities.

A partial further floor should be added to the clinical services block now proposed at Christchurch Hospi : tai as a clinical investigation area in relation to the new medical wards, providing office, investigation and research space for the various specialities, some day facilities for investigation of outpatients, and various special purpose areas. Joint Project Dr. Berry said the joint North Canterbury Hospital

Board-Otago University Medical School teaching and research unit should be established along properly planned lines in the new'area and withdrawn from Princess Margaret. This would make room for the development of units that. might be established there. From the teaching point of view it seemed unanswerable that those in the unit paid for in part by the university should be at Christchurch, the centre of teaching for the area. “Future Supply” “A decision along the suggested lines would bring the Christchurch medical unit in line with other developing units elsewhere, would be in line with current thought on the practice of medicine, and

would concentrate the teachers at the centre of the teaching,” he said. “It would help to ensure for the future a supply of Well trained physicians keen to return to

this area for their life’s work and guarantee for the people

of this district the best medical care which can be provided for them. “I also wish to stress the urgency of this proposal. If not included in stage one of our. rebuilding it will be de? ferred and not proceeded with for a minimum of 10 years. Even now it will be five years before this plan can be developed and operating' and in that time only the thought of improvements to come will enable us to attract further well trained staff to the district.” Mr L. A. Bennett said it was a very important report. The Health Department in the past had thought that research should be deliberately shut out from hospitals, but it now knew that it was an essential part.

If the board approved the report in principle, it would strengthen the board’s hand in saying that it wanted the proposals added to the present rebuilding plans.

The board adopted Dr. Berry’s report in principle.