GENERAL APPROVAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY BILL

Greymouth Evening Star, 17 August 1949, Page 8

GENERAL APPROVAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY BILL

WELLINGTON, August 16 (P.A.). —Moving the second reading of the Occupational Therapy Bill in. the House of Representatives today, the Minister of Health (Miss M. B. Howard) said that since the training centre for occupational therapists was opened at the Auckland Mental Hospital in 1944, 63 students had been enrolled. Thirty-six had qualified and 20 were still in training. Eighteen were employed in mental hospitals and 12 in general hospitals. Some had retired when married. General approval was given to the Bill. At present 120 trained occupational therapists could be placed in employment in hospitals and other institutions if available, said Miss Howard. That 120 would not fulfil •all needs as there was scope for employing occupational therapists in caring for cripples in their homes and in other work which would be of immense value to patients. Mr W. T. Anderton (Government, Auckland Central) said 7 the House would welcome the Bill because it did away with prevailing ideas that, because a person was disabled, he was Useless and he could exist only on Social Security. The Bill had as its purpose the resettling and rehabilitation of the disabled in noimal occupations. Mrs G. H. Ross (Opposition, Hamilton) paid a tribute to the work being done in the teaching of backward children and also to the work of disabled servicemen’s training centres. , , , The debate was interrupted by the adj ournment.