SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

Greymouth Evening Star, 13 August 1941, Page 2

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

GREY DISTRICT PROBLEM.

HOSPITAL BOARD DISCUSSION. Difficulty in procuring the services of members of the medical profession, with particular reference to the West Coast, was discussed by the Grey Hospital Board, at last evening’s meeting, but it was stated that the Board could do nothing, as the hospital itself is under-staffed, and the doctors are overworked.

Referring to the district shortage of general practitioners,, Mr. J. B. Kent said that it had been “headline news” lately. He was wondering if the Board was doing all it possibly could to assist. Were the facilities offered at the hospital well enough known to the public? Did they know all they could get at the hospital? The Chairman (Mr. J. Mulcare): I don’t think you can teach the Medi - cal Associations anything. Mr. Kent: Is there anything else we can do in this moment of crisis, to assist them? The Chairman: We cannot send our doctors out, can we? Mr. Kent: Possibly, by extra staffing. The Chairman said that the present staff at the hospital was overworked.

Mrs. C. E. Broad: If you cannot get medical men in the distinct, you will hardly get them here. Speaking for the Runanga Medical Association, Mr. F. J. Oakley said that they wanted a resident doctor at Runanga. They had always had one there, and they insisted upon it. Mr. Kent said that he was speaking generally. There was a keen shortage of doctors. He had seen numbers of patients waiting in Greymouth to see doctors, and having to go away without seeing them. He was wondering whether the outpatients’ department at the hospital was well enough known. The Chairman said that the Board was doing all it could. Mr. Kent said he believed that some people did not realise there was an out-patients’ department. ' Out-patients had to wait a long time for doctors to attend them at the hospital, also, said the Chairman. Mr. Oakley: I think that, since social security came in, out-patients have increased, too. Mr. Kent: Not to a marked extent. The secretary: We now have three doctors doing out-patients’ work. The matter was previously discussed with Dr. . Shore (Health Department), and he said it might be necessary to extend the out-patients’ accommodation at the hospital. Mr. Oakley said that the Greymouth doctors could not guarantee 100 per cent, attention for patients at Runanga. Mr. A. Mosley said he also had seen the number of people waiting to receive attention from doctors in Greyniouth. It was very evident that the town doctors, - too, were overworked. The Board knew- perfectly well that the medical staff at the hospital had been overworked for a long time. Staffing with medical men was a very difficult matter. He thought that, if the Board could do anything, every member would be onty too pleased to assist. It was a major problem, the way things were now. Mr. H. G. Carter said he did not think they could do much. Everyone realised that, at the moment, there was “a little war” on between the B.M.A. and the Government. That had been accentuated by the war overseas. He thought that these aspects were the cause of all the staffing trouble. Until such time as the people of New Zealand woke up and insisted upon something being done, the Board could not do much in the matter. It was for the people of the country to say how long the medical profession should hang out the fight with the Government over social security. That was at the bottom of the trouble. , , Mr. Oakley said the doctors claimed that 400 of their members had gone overseas, out of 1100 in the Dominion. That left only 700 to attend to the people. Mr. Kent suggested that an endeavour be made to _ get an extra doctor for the hospital, but the Chairman said that doctors could not be secured. Mr. Oakley declared that there was only one way out of the difficulty, and that was for the Government to secure the services of alien doctors. Runanga had received no support in this direction. Mr. T. P. Ryan pointed out that the matter of a doctor for Runanga was not within the province of the Board. , , The Chairman said that the Runanga matter had not been finally discussed. The Board was disposed to help in every possible way; that was their attitude. Mr. J. Smeaton: We cannot do very much, because the hospital is understaffed. NURSING STAFF DEPLETED. In reply to Mr. the Matron (Miss N. Moffatt) said that she had not yet been able to replace Sister Baldock, who has been called up for military service. She had also been unable to secure anyone to take relieving duty, so as to allow Sisters to take their holidays. Miss Moffatt added that the Grey Hospital had been lucky during the past two years, and this was the first time she had been really worried about filling positions. Mr. Smeaton asked if there were any ex-nurses in the district whose services might be secured. Most of them were either elderly, or were married and had small children, said the. Matron. The staff was now two Sisters short, and sickness among .the nurses had also caused trouble. Seven nurses were off duty at present.. Mr. Mosley: Do you think the position is so serious that it warrants advertising for staff? The Matron said she thought it would be better to do so. • The Chairman said he took it that the Matron and the Medical Superintendent always had that power, it was their job to keep the staff up to the fullest possible strength. The secretary said that the Health Department had issued instructions to Boards, not to apply to the Nurses Association or to advertise. The position was that there were not sufficient nurses available to fill the places of those who had gone overseas. It did not seem as if the position would improve. The Matron said that other hospitals had found it difficult to secure nurses in the past two years. Mr. Mosley said that everyone would understand the idea, behind the Department’s instructions. If, however, the position had become so acute that the hospital had not sufficient staff to carry on, it would be a case of weeding out cases they did not think were really hospital cases, and thus cut down the staff’s work. The Chairman: That is a matter for the Medical. Superintendent. We are pretty safe in leaving it in professional hands. 1 “Undoubtedly,” agreed Mr. Mosley. He added that there were cases which came into -the hospital that, really could be treated outside. He took it that the Medical Superintendent would keep an eye on that aspect. They need not turn the corner until they reached it.