RETURNED SOLDIERS’ HEALTH

Otago Witness, Issue 3556, 9 May 1922, Page 26

RETURNED SOLDIERS’ HEALTH

EFFECTS OF WAR SERVICE. DOCTOR’S CERTIFICATE IGNORED. CHRISTCHURCH, May 5. The attitude of the Director-General of Medical Services, in refusing to accept the responsibility for returned soldiers who bad broken down in health two or three years after their discharge,- was discussed fully at the meeting of (he executive of the Christchurch Returned Soldiers’ Association. Several specific coses were mentioned where the men had obtained certificates from doctors expressing the opinion that their breakdowns were due to war service, and the certificates were ignored by the Defence Department. 'The following remit was passed for consideration at the annual district conference: “That the attention of the British Medical Association be drawn to the attitude of the Director-General of Medical Services in constantly ignoring the signed statement of medical men, tracing the disabilities of returned solders to their war service. This executive considers that the conviction of a doctor who has carefully examined the patient should be worthy of more consideration than is at present given. Cases have occurred where two doctors have agreed that the breakdown is directly attributable to war service, but the Direc-tor-General of. Medical Services has stated that such .opinion was valuable only in so far as it showed' the soldier's present state of health, thus ignoring their opinion as to the primary cause.”