Doctor Criticises Health Dept.

Chronicle (Levin), 20 July 1949, Page 6

Doctor Criticises Health Dept.

TIMAEU, July 19. Frank eritieism of the general a'tfcitude shown toward hospital .medical praetiee by the Department of Health and Minister of Health, was expressed by the aeting medical superintendent of the Timaru Public Hospital (Dr. W. H. St. John Brooks) . today when tendermg his resignation to the * South Canterbury Hospital J^oard. ' Anomalies caused by an amendment to -.the Hospital , Employment Regula.tiOngj he |aM/pn)vided evidence of the lack" - of 'inte/cst and ignorance with wrhiQlr the'y wero compiled. ■?; Dr. Brooks ' c'ame from England to joiri fhe 'Timaru Public Hospital as a physician in 1946. His . resignation was accepted with regret by the board. Dr. Brooks liopes to return to England in November of this year when the hospital superintendent .returns. "As the board is aware, it was not possible until the recent publication^ of an amendment to the Hospital Employment Regulations, to predict with any certainty what the future would hold for full time hospital medical officers," said Dr. Brooks. "I have now had time to examine thoroughly the significance of the amendment and my resignation is in a large part due to" my conviction that the present regulations do not provide and, indeed, are not intended to provide, adequate at tractions for anyone contemplating a full time career in the hospital service." Dr. Brooks emphasised that such a conviction was by no means pufely owing to. dissaftsfaetion with the salary scales -thougii tbe'y appeared inadequate for many posts other than his owu. Thev offered little prospect of advanceraent after the ag'e .of 40. More open to eritieism was the general attitude shown toward hospital medical practice by the Department and Minister concerned, he saicL He considered it arbitra'ry and unenlightened.

"I feel, for example," continued Dr. Brooks, "that any scheme which makes no provision at all for postgraduate studv for specialists employed in hospitals, can only result in a second rate service. Gross anomalies relating to the specialist status of pathologists, must produce a lack of confidenee m the authority which perpetrates them. ' Even if the anomalies .mentioned, along with others, were as he hoped, eventuallv corrected, it would merelv provide evidence of the ignorance and

lack of interest with which the regulations had been compiled, said Dr. Brooks. The board decided tp refer the letter to the Department.