DENTAL SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 210, 2 June 1944, Page 4

DENTAL SERVICES

Wellington Held Reasonably Supplied BOARD’S APPEAL FAILS The opinion of the national dental committee, which is the advisory body on dental matters, that, in comparison with other parts of New Zealand, Wellington was reasonably- well served with dentists, was acted upon by the. ‘Wellington Industrial Manpower Committee yesterday, when disallowing an appeal by Ihe Wellington Hospital Board against the direction by the manpower officer of Alexander C. McLean, third senior assistant on the board’s dental staff, lo a private practice iu Feilding lhe manpower committee comprises Messrs J. . . Scott (chairman), I’. Coyle ami Arthurs. , , , Supporting the appeal on the grounds of public interest, Mr. E. G. Lender, senior dental surgeon at the Wellington Hospital, said the mam clinic was at the hospital, and there were branch clinics at Lower Hutt, Muritai, Upper Hutt, Paraparaumu and Plimmerton. It was a public health service operating solely for the benefit of the public and without profit motives. There were approximately 50,000 attendances per annum at the clinics, lhe tull staff consisted of 13 dental surgeons, of whom two were permanently stationed at Lower Hutt and one was a travelling, surgeon. The present staff consisted of six dental surgeons with the promise of. two. recent graduates from Otago (I niversity, a total of eight. A special committee, of which he was a member, had investigate! the allocation of dental personnel and had expressed the opinion that if a hospital lost two of its -staff, that was a fair contribution to the general pool. The war had caused a great shortage of dentists and there was a great overloading. They had ceased making examination appointments at the hospital for the past six weeks, due to the absurdity of doing so, but despite this there were appointments up to the end of August. No further appointments were being taken for fillings, but there were 650 dentures waiting attention. It was essential to maintain the .seasoned staff personnel, particularly for anaesthetic work. The. position had been complicated by the tact that the second assistant was in the Army. If his release could be obtained, the hospital board would not oppose McLean’s direction. Mr. Bender quoted a letter from the national dental committee advising that because fewer graduates had passed the examinations than was expected, only two of four graduates who had been directed to the board would now be available. Mr. Coyle read a letter from the national dental committee dealing with the matter which expressed the opinion that in comparison with other parts of the Dominion, Wellington was reasonably well served, and that the public interest would not suffer by the release of McLean. The committee also considered the hospital staff had not been depleted to as great an extent as private dental practices. Mr. D. R. Rankin, representing the district manpower officer, said the direction had been based on the recommendation of the national dental committee. It was the practice to follow such a procedure.