LACK OF ANAESTHETIST AT DUNEDIN HOSPITAL

Wanganui Chronicle, 5 February 1949, Page 5

LACK OF ANAESTHETIST AT DUNEDIN HOSPITAL

HEALTH MINISTER’S ACCOUNT OF WHAT LED TO MATTER

WELLINGTON, Last Night (P.A.) —ln a Press statement tonight, the Minister of Health (Miss Howard) said: “I think it only fai r to the public of Dunedin and the country generally, that the full facts of the present dispute over an anaesthetist for the neuro-surgical unit should be told.

“In June, 1948, a report was received from the Otago Hospital Board on the anaesthetist services of the hospital, setting out what they felt should be the future policy. On July 21, 1948, a letter was forwarded from the department to the secretary of the Otago Hospital Board agreeing to the appointment of a full-time director of anaesthetic services at a salary of £l6OO per annum. This appointment was apparently agreed to by the Hospital Board as at its meeting on August, 26 it decided to apply to the Minister of Health for consent to the appointment of a full-time director of anaesthetic services at. a salary rate of £l6OO per annum, this vacancy to be advertised in England, Australia, and New Zealand.

The board also asked for the appointment of an anaesthetist in the neuro-surgical department, whose salary should be met by some other source than from the board’s finances.

Agreement, was given to the appointment of a director of anaesthesia and deferring the appointment of an anaesthetist to the neuro-sur-gical department until a report could be obtained from the proposed director of anaesthesia. Apparently the board did not proceed any further with its own recommendation about this position of a director CONCERN VOICED Mr. Murray Falconer, in October, communicated with the department and voiced his concern about the ; futui’e of his unit, following which communication was mad? by the department with Dr. Anson, of the Auckland Hospital, asking if it would be possible to supply Otago with a suitably trained registrar for work in the neuro-surgical unit for a few months, failing which, would it be possible for him to train a man for the work. Dr. Anson replied that it would not be possible ot spare a registrar, but that he would be very pleased to train a suitable young man and that he did not anticipate there would be any difficulty in making him reasonably proficient in intratracheal anaesthesia, as applied' to neuro-sur-gery.

“This information was forwarded to the medical superinlendent of the Dunedin Hospital, with an extra copy for Mr.. Falconer. Apparently no action was taken along these lines by the Otago Hospita’ Board.

Doctor Moody Game to Wellington in January and interviewed Mr. Nash, Mr Nordmeyer, Miss Howard and Doctor L. C. McNickle, and discussed the position as it then was. One of his requests was that Doctor Ritchie, of Dunedin, be appointed director of anaesthesia on a part-time basis, instead of their original request for a full-time director at IIGOO per annum. The following week Dr. McNickle telephoned Dr. Moody and told him it had been agreed that Dr. Ritchie should be appointed director of anaesthesia on a part-time basis, and also that the board was at liberty to make the appointment of an anaesthetist for the neuro-surgical unit at £lOOO per annum ATTACKED GOVERNMENT. “Despite the fact that Dr. Moody was in possession of the above information, he then comes out and attacks the Government. In this morning’s paper Dr. Moody thanks the Minister for permission to make this appointment, and states that the information was conveyed in a letter sent to Mr. Falconer. The letter was sent to Mr. Falconer at the same time as a similar letter was sent to Dr. Moody, but the point behind it all N that Dr. Moody was in possession of this information before he rushed into print. Had the Otago Hospital Board carried out their own recommendations, of July, 1948. or even had they taken action on the advice received □f Dr. Anson’s offer, no crisis would have arisen.

“It is to be hoped Dr. Moody, in the interests of the neuro-surgical unit, will forget his political bias an:* remember that the health of the community comes before personalities.”