Taranaki town’s campaign works

Press, 10 January 1987, Page 14

Taranaki town’s campaign works

PA New Plymouth A concerted campaign by the small south Taranaki community around Manaia has reversed a decision by the Medical Council and gained the town two new doctors. The community, concerned that it was going to be left without medical services after the death of the former G.P., Dr Ken Fox, has been bombarding the council with support for two Zimbabwean doctors who had been refused permanent registration. The council faced a 1200 signature petition, letters from community leaders and a deputation supporting the husband and wife doctors, Hugh Findlay and Linda Dugdale. The council’s secretary, Mrs Georgina Jones, said •that after considering new information and the submissions of South Taranaki people the council had decided to give conditional approval to the two Zimbabwean doc-

tors to practice at Manaia. Dr Findlay and Dr Dugdale have been working as senior house surgeons at Hawera Hospital since January but had been refused registration as general practitioners because their degrees did not comply with council rules. Both doctors expect to get masters degrees in general medicine from Zimbabwe University “any day” and the council said it was prepared to accept this qualification once it has documentary evidence the pair hold the degrees. Mrs Jones said subject to their gaining the necessary clearances from the Health and Immigration departments the doctors would be given probationary registration on the condition they worked under supervision for at least a year. Dr Findlay said from Hawera that he and his wife were delighted with the news and were looking forward to working in general practice at Manaia.