SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

Greymouth Evening Star, 23 January 1942, Page 6

SHORTAGE OF DOCTORS

Auckland” b.m.a. 'anxiety. AUCKLAND, January 22. The great difficulties under which the depleted body of doctors in Auckland is carrying on civilian work now that many practitioners have been mobilised for an indefinite period with the defence forces are described in a statement issued by the president of the Auckland Division of the British Medical Association, Dr. A. Eisdell Moore, on behalf of his executive. The executive is very perturbed regarding the provision of adequate medical services for many parts of Auckland. There .arc now a large number of Auckland doctors serving with the forces overseas, and for some months all the remaining doctors have been working al high pressure. Many of these men have, in addition to varying on practices, gone into camp for varying lengths of time to act as medical officers lor territorial units. Now that these territorial units have been mobilised many of the younger and most active members of the profession have of necessity had to be mobilised also, and it is obvious that the general public will bo unable to receive the same degree of medical service as in the past. In some of the older established suburbs such as Parnell, Epsom, and Remuera there is a higher proportion of more elderly doctors and the position is not so acute, but in the more recently-developed areas of Dominion Road and Mount Albert the position is most serious. Before the war there were six doctors residing on the new North Road engaged in general practice. Three of these were carrying on work until the recent mobilisation, and all three are now in camp. Simi-, larly there were five doctors residing on Dominion Road and only two now remain in practice, and of these one is senior surgeon at the hospital, which greatly limits the time available for outside work. Thus a large residential area of Dominion Road, to Mount Albert is almost devoid of resident medical men. “VIEWED WITH CONCERN.” “The executive views the position with great concern,” says the statement. “No one can deny that a state of emergency exists in New Zealand and that the medical needs of the military must come first. The A.D.IVI.S. of the district can see no prospect of the early release of the doctors who have been called up, but the medical needs of the civilian still remain and though the population to be cared for may be somewhat smaller, it is the lit men who have gone into camp and the less robust, aged, and children who remain. The executive feels that some steps must be taken to help doctors who have now to struggle with a huge increase of work. The executive, therefore, suggests first, that the present position should be made known to the public in the hope that the public will co-operate by refraining from seeking medical advice for minor ailments and by notifying the doctor as early as possible in the day when the visit is required, and, second, it is suggested that the Auckland Hospital Board be asked to help the profession by increasing the present service of visiting nurses so that persons unable to obtain the services of a doctor could be seen by a nurse who would report to the doctor the nature and urgency of the call. “It is hoped that the Hospital Board will also help the profession to establish a scheme by which some doctor 1 would be available lor all 'urgent ' flight calls throughout the city. The executive feels that medical men can and will work very long hours to heip in this emergency, but that unless ■ adequate rest at nigh I is possible there will be a further breakdown in the number of doctors available for routine work. The executive believes that the profession could cooperate with the hospital in the establishment of such a night service.”

POSITION IN WELLINGTON WELLINGTON, January 22. “We feel the same- as the medical profession in Auckland. The number of Wellington doctors has been very seriously depleted, and quite candidly 1 do not know how we are going to carry on. The situation must also bo very worrying for the Minister for Health,” commented Dr. S. Rhind, general secretary of the Wellington branch of the British Medical Association, to-night. Dr. Rhind said that Wellington was facing the same problem as Auckland, and all doctors were greatly overworked with nc prospect of relief. Large numbers of men mobilised as territorial personnel under the latest call-up had to be medically examined and this would aggravate the position. Alter completing a heavy professional round to-day, said Dr. Rhind, he had been engaged lor some hours to-night examining Emergency Fire Service volunteers. The same applied to other doctors at this centre. It. was .suggested by Dr. Rhind that the quota of doctors required lor active routine duties with the Territorial Force could quite reasonably be- reduced, leaving them available to carry on civilian practice. They could be regarded as “doctors in uniform.” lie agreed that having one doctor available all night for urgent calls would give other practitioners a chance to secure something like adequate rest.

ADMISSION OF REFUGEES HAMILTON, January 23. Mr. F. A. de la Mare, a member ol the University Senate, in reply to the statement made by Dr. W. Newlands Chairman of the Medical Council said that the ad eundem statute of the Universities would enable the Senate (inter alia) to admit any student vvhc completed any part of an undergraduate course at any University, with an equivalent standard to the same undergraduate status in New Zealand as lie had in his own University. “The discretion allowed has for many years been exercised whenever the Senate was satisfied that the work done was in ils standard a lull equivalent,” said Mr. de la Mare. “It would seem that the idea was generous and universal, to enable bona fide students to carry on a further stage the work already commenced in another country. It now appears that the New Zealand Medical Council wishes to exclude from the benefit ol.' the statute a particular class of student. I think Dr. Newlands’ proper course was to move to amend the statute in question, by excluding refugees, however difficult it might be to draft a clause which would square with the spirit of the Hippocratic oath. At any rate, the British Medical Council has control of the medical register. It imposes a three-year term of elementary work, and now in Dr. Newlands’ contention, as I see it, it has asked the Senate to refuse to admit a refugee to the brotherhood of the University. Anv attempt to pass the buck ‘of exclusion' to the University body should, in my opinion, be resisted to the uttermost. I can attach no meaning to Dr. Newlands’ reference to unfairness to earlier refugees, except a desire for uniformity of exclusion, and fairness on such terms. I am unable to conceive or explain as to the ‘great flow’ of refugees referred to. I would remark that, as far as I can ascertain, New Zealand stands at the bar of civilisation. as the most-exclusive country in the world.”