MEDICAL SERVICE

Southland Times, Issue 19101, 20 November 1923, Page 7

MEDICAL SERVICE

AN IMPORTANT DEPARTURE! WORK IN THE TROPICS AND NEW ZEALAND. (Per United Press Association.) WELLINGTON, November 19. The Hon. Sir Maui Pomare (Minister for Health and Cook Islands) announced, to-day that it has been decided to establish an Island Medical Service for Western Samoa, Cook Islands and Chatham Islands. Experience,” stated the Minister, “has shown that owing to the medical officers in the Islands finding that, after prolonged service there, they become somewhat out-of-date in regard to the medical practice of the Dominion, it was becoming somewhat difficult to retain their service for any lengthy period in Island work. The result was that when a medical officer was getting to be expert in tropical diseases and work among the natives generally his three years period of service was at an end and he returned to New Zealand. In consequence, the medical service in the Islands suffered. There were many obvious disabilities to overcome. It had, therefore, been suggested that a system of service should be arranged whereby medical officers could obtain a permanency and at the same time have regular and adequate leave from the Islands both for the purposes of recuperating and for bringing themselves up to date from time to time in medical practice. Briefly,” continued the Minister, “the scheme devised by the Health Department, and which has already received the approval o( the External Affairs Department, provides: (1) All appointees to the Island Medical Service will become permanent members of the Health Department (Island Medical Service Branch) ; and (2) they will serve for periods of three years in the tropics and for 12 months in New Zealand alternately. It has not yet been definitely decided to what institutions the members of the Island Medical Service will be attached during their periods of service in New Zealand. The local leave of two weeks will be given during each year of service in the Islands and in New Zealand before the officers return to the Islands and at the conclusion of each three years of Island service each medical officer will be granted four months of absence. It is possible that the new system will provide for some form of exchanges of doctors as between the Islands and New Zealand.” The announcement of the new system has, it is understood, given great satisfaction in Samoa. The Administrator (General Richardson) is satisfied that a great permanent benefit has been conferred, not only on the Samoan Medical Service, but also on the inhabitants of the mandated territory by the co-operation of the New Zealand Health Department. In a recent communication General Richardson said he regarded the new system as “a great Empire service, standing to the credit of the Departments concerned.”

It is believed also that when the scheme is once in operation in the Cook Islands, it will be welcomed as a solution of the difficulties previously prevailing'.