STATE DOCTORS

Evening Star, Issue 22720, 6 August 1937, Page 8

STATE DOCTORS

TASMANIA'S SCHEME FOR REMOTE DISTRICTS UNDETERRED BY B.M.A, OPPOSITION WILL APPOINT GERMAN EXILES, IF NECESSARY [Pjsr United Press Association.] AUCKLAND. August 6. A State luncheon was tendered at the Grand Hotel to-day to the Hon. A. G. Ogilvie, Premier of Tasmania, and Dr J. F. Gaha, Minister of Health, and senior surgeon at Hobart Hospital, who are returning by the Monterey after the Coronation. Mr Fraser arrived at Auckland this morning to represent the Government as host. Interviewed, Mr Ogilvie indicated that the British Medical Association did not look altogether with favour on his Government’s scheme for the appointment of State medical officers in remote country districts. “We are making a start in January next with 10 medical officers, .who will be Civil servants,” said Mr Ogilvie. “ If we cannot obtain the men we require in Australia we will try England. If we fail there we will have no hesitation in appointing German doctors who have been exiled because of Hitler’s antiSemitic campaign. Many of these professional men have exceedingly high qualifications and some have had brilliant careers.” He added that, despite the opposition shown by the B.M.A. and a section of the Press, the Government had gone steadily forward and taken no notice of criticism. It had received many applications from English doctors, and was confident it would have no difficulty in making appointments. _ If the scheme was successful it was likely to he extended to embrace the whole State. “ The time has arrived for intensive public health activity in all parts of the world,” said Dr Gaha. “ Here the indications are that in the future a largo proportion of the money now spent on health will be spent on the prevention of disease. _ Australia and New Zealand have facilities to develop the best medical services in the world.”