SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS.

Greymouth Evening Star, 16 March 1917, Page 2

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS.

REPORT FROM OR VALIN-

re WE.

CONFERENCE TO BE HELD

DCXEDIN, March U

1 1] consequence of the eommuniealiiiiis from the Christchurch Hospital J!.,;ii'i] with regard to the shortage of doctors t'<>r the Board's institutions 1 , the Hon. (I! W. Russell asked Dr. Vali'utiiic. Inspector-General of Hos. pitals, to submit a genera! statement as to the medical service;; of the Dominion, and especially as to the effect of the military requirements, upon the WELLTXGTOX; Tins Day. situation.

A comprehensive report from Dr. Valintme has been received by >.>e Minister . Its salient points' were outlined by Mr. Russell to a "Star" reporter. The Minister said that Dr. Valintine stated that in normal circumstances the proportion of one medical officer for every 2000 of population was generally regarded as sufficient. New Zealand is divided into four district, and reports have been received from the Department's officer:! in each district. These reports show that there are 54G medical men practising in the Dominion, this num. her roughly giving one medical man for eveiv 2-'i8() of the population. Dr. Valintine holds, says Mr. Russell, that it is, therefore, extremely necessary that some dcfinite system of calling upon the medical profession for military service should be arranged inimediatelv.

There are at present 100 medical nun away mi active service with the Now Zealand Expeditionary Forces, and 47 medical men either engaged on purely military work at the various training camps in the Dominion, or engaged as examining officers on ilie -Military Medical Boards. The position, therefore, is that out of a t.aal of 78-5 medical men belonging to N\'\v Zealand. 546 are now in practise and 2:57 engaged in military work either within <>v heyond the Dominion. In addition to these nlxuit 20 doctors retired from practise in the early stages of the war and went to Great Britain to offer their services for mililary purposes. The district health of, heel's have reported thai they consider that the minimum numbers, of medical men required hi their districts to carry on efficiently the tiiedi cal s-eiviees. for the people of New Zealand are as follow: Otagn B(i Canterbury 92 \Ve!iin-,U»!i lito Aiieklmui 152 The mmiher.s cited give a prnporti n of one medical practitioner for every iMO-'i of the whole population. This i;j looked upon as the limit ot' safety—the irreducible niininuuii unless a comprehensive organisation be established. The Minister states that Dr. Valin. tiee in his report especially emphasises the fact that at present the medical men of tin' Dominion carry on the medical services of the country in competition, and truly points out that if the medical mem remaining iti New Zealand carried on their services b v some, organised svstem of co-

operation, the minimum number required for civilian and institutional needs could very materially he reduced, particularly so if the public were prepared to assist ijii the work by minimising the calls on doctors for their services by obr.erviiicr definite hours as far as possible:, and by seeking institutional treatment rather than expecting to be given treatment at their own homes. A further saving still could be effected if maternity cases were dealt with more generally at maternity institutions, instead of at the homes of the mothers. The statistics contained in the report show that the. number of medical men now practising hi New Zealand gives an excess of 26 over the minimum deemed sufficient for the medical require, mints of the eountrv.

Tin- Minister said the proportion of medical men at the camps i.-; higher than the proportion of those engaged in private practice. At Featherston, for instance, there are tefti medical men employed at the camps : there are eight at Trent ham, one at Narrow Neck Camp (Auckland), and live at Awapuni Camp—-a t<>tal of 2i. There are about 23 doctors on the Military Medical Hoards, The time may como when further calls by the Defence Do. partinent upon the medical services' of ihe country will require grave consjdtratiM.l in the interests of the general w; 'faro of the people. A conference will be called soon. al which tlie Health Department and the executive of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association will be rep resented, to consider what steps can bo 'taken to see that while asnisting the Defence Department in every way the medical services of the Dominion shall no| be do. plelcd to a dangerous 1 point.