NURSES FROM EUROPE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 9, Issue 100, 17 July 1946, Page 5

NURSES FROM EUROPE

TO MEET STAFF SHORTAGES SUGGESTION FROM THAMES In view of the increasing alarm at the lack of young women willing to take on nursing as a profession and also the desperate position in New Zealand Hospitals owing to staffing shortages generally the Thames Hospital Board has circularised other Boards urging that efforts should be made to induce the Government, or alternatively the Hospital Board’s Association, to bring over suitable young women from Europe to meet the situation.

The letter went on to point out that there were thousands of eligible young women in Europe who would probably welcome a trip to the Dominion if transport were provided. Whilst not desiring to foist any snap decision on the Government it was stated that failing any satisfaction from that quarter, the Hospital Boards should be permitted to solve their own problems by this means by seeking the co-.opera-tion of the Health Department to provide transport costs or portion of it. All Boards were requested to contact the Director General of Health urging that the scheme be adopted as a measure for relieving the drastic position now obtaining in many hospitals. When the letter was considered by the Whakatane Board last Thursday Mr C. A. Suckling commented that from what he understood the hospitals in England were likewise short of nursing staffs. The chairman- (Mr J. Mullins) asked what was to ■ prevent such young women if they did reach the Dominion from seeking out the more lucrative positions in preference to nursing or domestic work.

Mr Caulfield: I consider it would be the only solution to the present position. I would not confine it to Britain but to all Europe, We’re sending food and clothing there now If we got them here we could do all that on the job as well as employ them to our mutual advantage Mr Burt: There are the girls here alright but I consider its a question of salary. They won’t stay when they can draw bigger money in other directions.

Mr McGougan contended that thf question of bringing immigrants to the Dominion was a national thing and he failed to see what Boards could do acting on their own.

On Mr Buddie’s motion it was decided to hold the whole question over until next month in view of the fact" that it was inextricably tied up with Government policy. In the meantime members will be circularised with copies of the letter.