Group To Meet On Doctor Shortage

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32007, 6 June 1969, Page 1

Group To Meet On Doctor Shortage

A date has now been set for the first meeting of the working party set up by the Minister of Health (Mr McKay) to look into the shortage of doctors in country areas.

Telegrams were sent by the Health Department yesterday to members of the committee, advising that the first meeting would be on June 24. One Christchurch member of the committee. Dr S. J. Carson, a Medical Association of New Zealand representative, yesterday said he was surprised at the Minister’s determination not to allow representatives of Federated Farmers or the Counties’ Association on to the committee. “I can’t imagine why the Minister has left the country pe.ople off the guest list to his party,” Dr Carson said.

“The credentials of the Federated Farmers and the Counties’ Association are impeccable, for they do represent the consumer, and after all the hard work they've done on the problem of rural medical services they will feel the omission keenly. “We have been impressed with their grasp of the problem. Like the doctors, they are trying to makd it known that there is not only a real danger that medical services will fold up in areas like Kaikoura, but also that the predictions are plain that we will be scratching for doctors in places like Ashburton in a few years,” he said.