NO COMPULSION

Evening Star, Issue 19855, 2 May 1928, Page 5

NO COMPULSION

STIPENDIARY MEDICAL STAFFS A MAHER FOR BOARDS’ DEGISIOH [Special to the ‘ Star.’] CHRISTCHURCH, May 2. While making it dear that neither the Minister of Health nor the department will interfere in respect to hospital boards’ policies as to having paid or stipendiary medical staffs, the Hon. J. A. Young last evening said that in Waikato Hospital, in his own district, the stipendiary system worked excellently. The question came up in an interview, when Dr Fox’s condemnation of the movement to replace the honorary staff at Christchurch Hospital with- a complete stipendiary staff was mentioned. The Hospitals Act, the Minister said, was sufficiently wide to allow every board to organise its own administration in order to meet all the demands of tho_ medical profession in regard to providing private wards. It rested solely with the boards to decide whether they should have stipendiary staffs only, or stipendiary staffs working in conjunction with honorary staffs. At no time had the Minister or the department interfpi 1 with boards’ decisions as to the methods under which they should work, and they did not intend to interfere. At the same time, the department’s advice always was available to boards in regard to any proposals as to their policies. Amongst quite a number of doctors he found the impression that he was opposed to the honorary system. Speaking for himself, he would say it was a'matter entirely for the boards. The impression he referred to possibly was created by the fact that Waikato Hospital—its headquarters were at Hamilton, his homo town, and for some years he had been a member and chairman of the board—had ever since its inception adopted tho stipendiary system. _ Replying to a question, he said the stipendiary system worked excellently in Waikato Hospital, which, in administration and in general efficiency, compared with tho best in the dominion. If tho Waikato Board decided to-mor-row to change over to the honorary system he would not interfere with it, as the matter was one for it, and it alone, to decide.