DR. VALINTINE APOLOGISES.

Taranaki Daily News, 23 July 1930, Page 9

DR. VALINTINE APOLOGISES.

BEI'BRBX® TO MEDICAL .MEN. By Telegraph.—Press Association. Timaru, Last Night. When a deputation met the Minister of Health in Wellington regarding the use of small wards in hospitals as private wards, Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, Dir-ector-General of Health, said: _ “The medical profession wanted watching.” Referring to the matter at the opening of a new maternity hospital at Temuka to-day Dr. Valintine said he very much regretted that he said a rather unfortunate thing in Wellington. The occasion was when a deputation waited on the Minister and asked him to allow some small wards in hospitals to be used as private wards. With that suggestion ho was not in favour, and in the heat of arguing he was constrained to say something quite unwittingly detrimental to the medical profession. As a matter of fact, he said, unfortunately, “the medical profession wanted watching.”

“That was an ungenerous statement for me to make,” he continued, “because I am sensible to the excellent work the medical profession has done and is doing throughout the country. With a population of barely a million and a-half we have 700 doctors, and 600 of these are New Zealand-trained, and we have surgeons, physicians, obstetricians and bacteriologists second to none in the world. Therefore 1 take this opportunity of saying how sorry I am that in the heat of argument I over-stepped the mark. I suppose it is a sign that I am getting old. I have been through many experiences during the course of my official career and don’t think I have forgotten myself in the past. I said too much and I apologise to members of the medical profession.” ''.l' ..