UNFIT SOLDIERS

Otago Witness, Issue 3430, 9 December 1919, Page 5

UNFIT SOLDIERS

AND THE TRAVELLING MEDICAL BOARD.

DEPUTATION TO BRIGADIERGENERAL M'GAVIN.

A deputation from the Returned Soldiers' Association, consisting of the president (Dr T. Harrison),.secretary (Mr G. M. Smith), and Mr A. J. Foley, waited on the Directorgeneral of Medical Services (Brigadierg«nentt M'Gavin) on the 2nd with reference to the action of the Travelling Medical Board in discharging unfit soldiers stillundergoing treatment. Colonel MDonald (O.C. the Otago District) and Lieutenantcolonel Gabites (A.D.M.SI) were also present. •

Before the deputation explained its business, Brigadier-general M'Gavin' said he was- afraid there had taeen a good deal of misunderstanding about the matter. In the first place the ,men's treatment went on without interruption. The only way in which it might appear—and it was only apparent—to be unfair was that the . men lost their privilege leave for the time being. They,. however, received their 28 pay on discharge, and the railway warrant could be postponed till June. Even then, if there were men still undergoing treatment, he had no doubt the warrant could be further extended. So that they really lost nothing in that way. It was true that the men lost their allowance of 4s a day ,but so far as subsistence was concerned, they had their pensions, proportionate to their disablement, and the deputation was aware of the conditions under which the Repatriation Board might assist them. The reasons for discharging these men had been discussed often. It was done to assist them to repatriate themselves. When men had nothing at all' to do they were apt to do things that were not good for them. It was quite possible the Travelling Medical Board might make mistakes. - Everyone did. That was human fallibility. But he was sure it was not for a few of these — if they had occurred—that the returned soldiers had sent a deputation _ He did not know whether all the dissatisfied men had reported their cases to the A.D.M.S., but he had cancelled the discharges in five cases of those referred to him by Colonel Gabites. As a matter of fact, if they were going' to hospital, these men would have been better off on full pension than on pay. Another point was that the men were discharged when they were able' to undertake some civil occupation. If they waited till they, were able to resume their full employment there would be no need for a pensions scheme. In Otago there was a very great disproportion between the. number of discharged and undischarged men, in favour of the province as compared with other districts. If any men who had not yet reported to the A.D.M.S. did so, their case would be considered. He only wanted to hear about them. Dr Harrison said the men complained that the board examined them without having a single report on the cases before it.

Colonel Gabites: They are here on the files.

Continuing, Dr Harrison said he knew one case, that of a man who was being treated by an eye. specialist. The specialist said he had never been asked for a report. The board had discharged the man and given' him a pension, but he had had to go back to his medical adviser. There were other cases of the same kind. They wanted to know if the board took into consideration the men's occupation. For instance, there was the case of a miner who had returned disabled. He had been given a. pension, but could not get any other occupation. His medical adviser said he would have been fit for inining again in 12 months. The utmost pension a man could get was £2, if he were totally disabled, and if a man had only 30 or 40 per cent, of that he held that he could not exist on it. As to the provision made for treating the cases at night, Dr Harrison pointed out that for a man, and an unfit one at that, to work all day, then go down to the out-patients' deEartment and wait Derhans two' and ahalf ours was an exceptionally long day, and very hard on him. His association thought that' men who were still tmdergoing treatment should be given an adequate pension to allow them to exist, apart from what the Repatriation Board might bo able to do to assist them. Brigadier-general M'Gavin, in reply, said that the board had been instructed to examine the cases wherever possible in the presence of the medical officers, or at least ■with reference to them. He believed that in some cases Major White had not been consulted, and if that were so then the board had departed from its instructions to that extent. In these cases, however, the board had the medical history sheets which they probably accepted as being sufficient. Presumably they were kept up to date. Gabites: Yes.

Resuming:, the General said that the eye case mentioned had been examined by an-

other specialist, who reported that he was fit to work.

Lieutenant-colonel Gabites: He said that, as the man was allowed to go about the street in* the dust, he did no see why he should noi do some work. As to the question of the men being kept waiting at the Out Patients' Department, the Director-general . said Colonel Gabites would inquire into it, and if it were so they would have to increase the staff. The men should not have to wait, but, at the same time, if they did have to wait half an hour or so, the fact that they were drawing a pension was some compensation for it.

Colonel Gabites : They don't have to wait. They have a time-table down there. The question of pensions, continued the General, was another story on which' he could not touch, as he was not directly concerned with it. He hoped they would not think him unfair. He was a returned soldier himself, and tried to do his best for the men. Just, now returned soldiers saw plenty of work going with big wages, but that would not be for all time. The time would come when labour in all departments would be more abundant, and they would then be in competition with physically fit men. They would not then get the same consideration. It was to their interests that they should get a footing now and become established. The publio memory was short, % and employers would go for the fit men. He was afraid that if the Returned Soldiers' Association insisted on having it as the principle of discharge that a man should be returned to his old occupa-' tion, it would be a very dangerous thing for the men, and they would suffer severely indeed. For instance./a clerk who had lost a limb could still carry on at, his old occupation, and the Pensions Board would probably say that, seeing he was fit for it, he would not be ..given a pension. They might argue the same way even if a man had Mat both legs

Dr Harrison: In that case the pension is given for the personal inconvenience in losing a limb. There must come a time, said the General, when even the most disabled soldier must be discharged. Dr Harrison: Then the matter of the total pension must be considered. _ The General: In that direction I am inclined to agree with you. Concluding, he remarked that though they had kept extra staffs, the men were not availing themselves of their opportunities. in the matter of treatment.

. Colonel M'Donald: That is a very important point. He asked if the men might have the general's assurance that any case brought under the notice of the. A.D.M.S. would be reviewed, and, if necessary, sent on to "him.

General M'Gavin: That is so. We want to hear about these things. In reply to Colonel M'Donald, he *ided that he had laid it down in his instructions that the medical officers who treated the cases should be present at the examination. Dr Harrison then thanked the general for his presence and attention, and the deputation withdrew.