Teaching Hospital Envisaged

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30630, 22 December 1964, Page 18

Teaching Hospital Envisaged

(New Zealand Press Association)

DUNEDIN, December 21.

Compromise would be necessary, but he could see no reason why a satisfactory solution could not be found to the administrative problems involved in providing a teaching hospital for the University of Otago Medical School, Dr. J. Fulton, chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, said today.

With a second medical school at Auckland in the

offing, this was of great importance, he said. Dr. Fulton was giving a review of the year to the final meeting of the board for 1964. The care of the sick remained the main concern of the board, Dr. Fulton said. “But our duty to provide every possible facility for the i Medical School in its task of teaching future doctors is also of the highest importance and is one we do i everything in our power to carry out.” With hundreds of students in the hospital wards every day problems in routine administration and future planning were inevitable. A joint relations committee of the board and the university met monthly and ironed out most of the problems quite satisfactorily. But the university representatives had no vote on actual board decision;, they could vote only on recommendations to the board.

During the year a combined committee was set up to consider the administrative problems of a teaching hospital. “Among other things discussed was the possibility of university representatives on the governing body as is the custom in the United King-

dom teaching hospitals,” Dr Fulton said.

“The importance of more local authority to make de- ■ cisions was stressed at these I meetings and a suggested ■ policy is in the course of preparation for discussion by j the board and the university.”