DOCTORS FOR THE ARMY

Greymouth Evening Star, 15 July 1941, Page 8

DOCTORS FOR THE ARMY

• AUCKLAND BOARD’S DECISION AUCKLAND, July 14. ; A decision that the Auckland Hospital Board would not release further medical officers for military service until more satisfactory arrangements were made, was reached at a meeting ' of the board to-night. Five house surgeons already have been released, being replaced by sixth-year medical j students. Four more surgeons have jbeen asked for, and before the end of I the year the remainder, up to a maxii mum of 50 per cent., will be required. I A letter from the Director-General I of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt, stated that .in order to meet the pressing need for young medical men for service with the armed forces, the National Medical Committee had considered a proposal to replace a proportion of the house surgeons on the staffs of public hospitals by sixth year medical students as a war measure. The arrangement would be restricted to the larger institutions, and not more than half of the existing house surgeons would be replaced. The Otago University Council and the Medical Council of New Zealand had agreed to this proposal. In a report to the board, the actingmedical superintendent, Dr. W. Gilmour, stated that five of the senior medical officers at the Auckland Hosipital had been called for active serivice on June 26. The Army Department had now asked for the release of a further four qualified men. This would leave the hospital with 11 qualified men and 11 students. “The board has always done all it can to help the military authorities,” said the chairman, Mr. Allan Moody; but the Health Department took five ■ of our second-year resident surgeons without even consulting us. Now four (more are wanted. The department is i

always abusing us for lack of staff but it must realise that we have r duty to the public of Auckland, no! only civilians, but also returning soldiers. The whole trouble has arisen because the medical school is in Dunedin. Students lose valuable time going there for their final examinations. I want to move a motion tc bring matters to a head,” added Mr, Moody. “It will have the effect ol dropping a bomb among the university people in Dunedin.” The chairman moved that unless and until satisfactory arrangements were macle so that final examinations would not interfere with the running of the hospital, and until provisional registration was arranged for students acting as residents, the board would not release any further medical officers. Seconding the motion, Mr. J. Guiniven said it would be foolish to reduce the staff further. Auckland must have a medical school, and until then there would be a shortage of doctors, even if there were no war. The motion was carried.