MEDICAL SCHOOL NUMBER OF STUDENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 78, 29 September 1934, Page 11

MEDICAL SCHOOL

NUMBER OF STUDENTS

LIMITATION QUESTION

PEOTEST IX HOUSE

A strong protest against limitation of the number.of medical studonts at Otago University was made by Labour members in the House of Representatives yestorday afternoon. It was stated that the British Medical Association had suggested limiting tho num.ber of students, and the opinion was .expressed that the Government should not allow anything to be done, that would be to tho detriment of the public. It was mentioned that tho University Senate was meeting that day in Wellington to considor the proposal. As a protest, Mr. W. E. Barnard (Labour, Napier) moved that the vote for Otago University be reduced by £5.. Mr. Barnard said that as a result of proposals of the .B.M.A. the educational authorities were apparently prepared to limit the number of medkal students. A.member: Where did you get that from! Mr. Barnard! It is a matter of common knowledge. As a matter of fact a meeting is taking place in tho city today. He said that apparently the Prim? Minister know something about tho matter, but appeared to treat it very lio-htly. It was a serious matter. What would" bo the Prime Minister's attitudo if a proposal wero made to reduce the number of dairy farmers or wool growers? "Tho Primo Minister docs not seem to realise how serious tho proposal is, and it emanates from tho 8.M.A., who want to mako the medical services a select preserve of their own," said Mr. Barnard. "That's not :good enough. It is a most vicious principle," STATE SERVICES DIFFERENT. Mr. Barnard said that if tho medical services were controlled by the State it,.-would not bo unreasonable for thie Government to decide, after careful'inquiry, how many medical practitioners the people of tho Dominion required, but when tho proposal emanated from the profession grave' consequences to the, people of the Dominion were likely. Two reasons had been given for the proposal. One was that there wero too many doctors in New Zealand; ho questioned whether that was correct. New Zealand-trained doctors had the right .to practise in other countries, and if there was no room here, they were at liberty to go abroad. The other reason was that the Medical School could not accommodate more than fifty-five to sixty students, but, he pointed out, it httd accommodated 100. In tho course of time there might be a national medical .service in New .Zealand, and there would be difficulties for.that service if there were insufficient doctors. , Mr,. E. J. Howard (Labour, Christchurch South) said that ho would like to hear some reply to the matter raised by Mr. Barnard. He doubted whether the proposal could be carried out. Mr. Barnard: They arc meeting today in Wellington. Mr. Howard: Who? '.- Mr. Barnard: The University Senate. Mr. Howard said that the Senate did notfix the number of persons who were ■to go to 'the university. Mr. A. S. Richards (Labour, Eoskill) 'said that statistics Bhowed that there was not a surfeit of medical practitioners in tho country. It would be difficult to say whether there was a sufficiency of medical practitioners in the event of a serious epidemic. There had been difficulty in the South Island in obtaining resident house- doctors. If there were to be a change, ho would put in a plea for Auckland as the site for a medical school. Mr. J. A. Nash (Government, Palmerston): Do you think there should bo two •schools in New Zealand? . • Mr. Richards: Certainly, if the prc.mises in the south arc not large enough. ' Mr. Nash: Sufficient employment cannot be found for the numbers that are , .put through now. ' Mr..Richards: Oh, yes, it can. 1 Mr, Richards said that the proposal came from a very close corporation which had not studied the welfare and 1 the-- health of the nation at all times. •No stronger example pf trade unionism was to be found than that in the ranks of tho B.M.A. Mr. A. J. Stallworthy (Independent, Eden): Doesn't the honourable gentleman believe in unionism? ' Mr. Richards: This is quite a different matter. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr. M.' J. Savage) urged the Prime Minister to make some reply to tho question. There might next bo a move to limit persons entering the legal profession. Captain H. M. Rushworth (Country .Party, Bay of Islands): Is not this the age of quotas? Mr. Savage said that if there was to be a limitation then it was a matter to be seriously considered by the Government. - . NO JURISDICTION. : The Prime Minister (the Rt. Hon. G. W. Forbes) said that the Government had no jurisdiction in tho matter, or any information as to what was proposed. •Ho could not give an opinion ■about tho proposal because nobody knew what it was, or what the Senate would report. Ho understood there was some suggestion by-the B.M.A. for the limitation of the number of doctors, and tho suggestion was to go before the Senate. If the vote were reduced, the House would be assuming that something was to bo done. Nothing had .come from the Department or from the. Senate. The Senate would have to decide whether the B.M.A. had a strong e/ough case. Mr. Barnard: Does the Prime' Minister not think the principle is wrong? Mr. Forbes referred to tho fact that persons' had been stopped, from going to training colleges because no jobs could be found for them. Mr. F. Jones (Labour, Dunedin South): But the Government is the only employer. Mr. Barnard: Well, we could do with fewer dairy farmers now. Mr. Forbes: What would the honourable gentleman say to entrance being restricted to membership of the Wollingtou Waterside Workers' Union? Mr, J. O'Brien (Labour, Westland): There is no comparison, One is a. pub- . lie health matter, and the other is an ordinary job. Mr. Barnard: The. Prime Minister approves the principle of limitation in respect of doctors? Mr. Forbes: I have never seen the argument in favour of it. It must be very strong if they are going to convince the Senate.- We have no knowledge whether the Senate will listen to what they say, a,nd you are asking us to 'judge the matter. -Mr. Forbes added that it was legitimate for members to raise the question and express their views so that tho Senate might know what their opinions were. He had not got the information that other members had. Mr. Richards:' Has the right hon. gentleman no information.* Mr. Forbes: It is rumouied. The .first I- heard of it was when flic honourable gentleman brought it up in the House yesterday. Mr. Forbes said he felt that tho Senate* would view the matter from the in-

tercsts of the country, and till the Senate's opinion was known one could not say ■what action might bo taken. OPPORTUNITY TOR DISCUSSION. Mr. Savage: There will bo an opportunity? Mr. Forbes said that the House could have an opportunity of expressing it 3 opinion. A member: Will you give the House an opportunity ? Mr. Forbes: Yes. COUNCIL'S VIEW. Mr..Jones said that \vheu he understood the question of the limitation of medical students was likely to be raised iv tho House he telegraphed to the Registrar of tho Otago University asking whether the "University Council was supporting tho representations made by Sir Lin do Ferguson. The reply was ns follows: — Medical students may take first year at any of four centres. We suggest that number admitted our_ medical school in second year bo limited to 60. With failures from previous rear this will mako class of approximately 70, which is largest number we can efficiently train. This is much more than number required to provide medical practitioners for Dominion irrespective of'number from overseas averaging eleven per annum. Restriction of numbers probably required only temporarily as experience here and elsewhere shows ebb and flow, and number desiring entry will shortly drop from natural causes. In Great Britain and America number of medical students is restricted^ Dr. Newlands arriving Wellington Friday to discuss matter New Zealand University. Suggest you see him. (Signed) Chapman. Mr Jones said that tho telegram showed that tho University Council was in favour of restriction, and it that was for the purpose of exploiting the people heft was entirely opposed to it. If the number of doctors was far more than the population required, that was another matter. ' The Labour Party hoped to see a National Health Insuranco Act to maintain tho national health, and they did not want to bo in the position that there would bo only a limited number of doctors who wotud exploit the public. . Mr. B. A. Wright (Independent, Wellington Suburbs) said-he would like to remind Labour members that the Wellington Waterside Workers' Union restricted tho number of men who .-joined. Mr. Jones: They can't exploit tno public, though. p Mr. Wright: Men are refused by the executive without any reason. Mr. Eichards: There is no work. Mr. Wright: The position *s exactly the same. . . Mr. Wright said that if it were shown that there were too many medical men in New Zealand it did seem that there was a ease to be answered. Mr. right drew attention to the vote for Victoria College, and said that though the colleeo had practically no endowments its vote was smaller than that for colleges which, had endowments Mr J O'Brien (Labour, Westlanci} said ' that Parliament supplied the money, and should havo somo say as to how it was spent. •Captain Bushworth: People can't afford to be ill now. . Mr. O'Bricu said that'quite a number of hospital boards had great difficulty in securing house surgeons. One for South Westland had been obtained from Australia.