SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3141, 20 July 1917, Page 4

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

OUT-PATIENTS CANNOT BE ' ATTENDED TO. To-day is out-patients' day at the Wellington Hospital, but owing to a shortage of medical men on the staff tho Superintendent (Dr. Barclay) announced to tlie board yesterday that ho could not undertake to attend to out-patients today. The matter, which is a serious one, was brought up by the chairman, who reported that he and the Superintendent had that day appeared before tlie Military Service Board to ask for the exclusion of Dr. Fitzgerald, of tho Hospital staff. The position as to staff was tliat in 1014, when tho average daily number of eases to be attended to was 311. they had a Mcdical .Superintendent, a senior house surgeon, and three juniors, joday, with a" daily average of 333 cases and 40 military cases, a total cf 3/7 oases, thev had a military, doctor in chargo of the soldier patients, the Medical Superintendent, and Drs. Milne ana Fitzgerald. Dr. Milne was to go into ramo on August 5 winch would leatn two'men. So strenuous was the work that Dr. Barclay wou.ld tell them that there could be no attendance on outpatients to-day. . Dr. Barclay supported what Mr. Baldwin had said, and added that though ho had tried lie could not get the swj"** of a doctor to attend to the out-patients to-dav. Next week they would get ono man back, and then he honed to be able to manage, but for to-day it could not bo managed. It was decided to advertise the fact ill the papers. , Dr. Barclay mentioned that ho had written to Dw.icdm asking the authorities toi give him three nun, in addition to Dr. Fitzgerald.