SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

Evening Star, Issue 21811, 29 August 1934, Page 14

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

POSITION ACUTE IN AUSTRALIA A HOSPITAL TREATMENT INSURANCE SCHEME [SPECIAL TO THE * STAR.’] CHRISTCHURCH, August 28. There is a great shortage of doctors in Australia, according to observations made to-day by Dr C. I. Morkane, who has just returned from a visit to Australia, and he added that there was a marked scarcity of young doctors to fill positions as house surgeons in the hospitals in both Melbourne and Sydn<Hc stated that the hackblocks and rural districts were suffering to an even greater extent through the shortage of doctors than the cities, for after several years of arduous study there were few young doctors willing to go out into the back-blocks, where their earnings would be very small. Unlike New Zealand, where there was a plethora of medical students, there were few students entering the medical schools in Australia, and the task of staffing the hospitals was no easy one. Dr Morkane said the New South Wales Hospital Commission appointed recently had already proved a success, and had reduced the annual hospital expenditure by nearly £250,000. , It had also reduced the annual cost of a bed. by £3L and had been responsible for improved, methods of management. The reductions had been brought about without impairing the efficiency of the hospitals. Another move by the commission was to abolish the pound for pound system of subsidy, which had been replaced with a method of assistance on the basis of need and merit. A system was now in operation in New South Wales by which, on payment of 6d a week, the payer was entitled, in the event of any member of his family being in need of hospital treatment, to a reduction in his hospital account of £2 a week, the metropolitan fund paying the £2 to the hospital. This applied in the case of both public and private hospitals, and the contribution of Gd; could be paid to any registered chemist in the State. The scheme was proving very popular, and the metropolitan fund had already paid out a large sum by way of balances to the hospitals. The commission, he said, acted in an honorary capacity.