Student Health Service Expands

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30934, 15 December 1965, Page 1

Student Health Service Expands

The Student Health Service of the University of Canterbury will expand next year with medical interviews for all flrst-year students (except those specially exempted), the extension of the service to include all students of the Christchurch Teachers’ College, the opening of a full-time clinic at Ham, and the appointment of a third full-time medical officer, who will have psychiatric experience.

Until now medical interviews have been available on a voluntary basis to any student This year more than 2000 have been held of which 1099 were initial interviews and 311 annual interviews. Three part-time medical officers assisted.

Next year medical laterviews will be held with all first-year students except those granted exemption for reasons satisfactory to the Professorial Board. Annual Interviews ' will be offered only to those considered by the Health Service to need further supervision. University doctors, senior academic staff, and the University Council believe the initial medical interview for all students is important to form a basis for further consultations with confidence so that advice may be given by the Health Service or the students' own doctors and thus forestall any interruption of academic work. Problems in the emotional field will be met next year by the appointment of the third doctor who will have psychiatric experience. The service of present students’ counsellors will be retained. Excluding preventive services (medical interviews and immunisations) 5000 consultations were held this year and 13.5 per cent of these were for mental health reasons. This does not include 400 hours of counselling by a parttime clinical psychologist who assists the service.

The extension of the University Health Service to Teachers* College students is another aspect of the growing co-operation between the two institutions which will be further developed when both are at Ham. Many students are common to both centres of learning.

The full-time clinic at Ham, in addition to that on the central site, will be opened next year because, when the science faculty moves, 45 per cent of the university’s roll Will be on the new campus.