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THE MEDICAL SERVICE

Soarcely a day passes without complaints and protests against the administration of the medical branoli of the Defence Department 1 reaching this office. 'We are willing to believe that some of these complaints are ill-founded, but unfortunately there appears to be only too much ground for most of them. A typical case is set out in a letter in our news columns this morning. In this particular instance we happon to be thoroughly conversant with tho facts, as the recruit in question is on the staff of this journal. Ho was recently sent on enrolment at the Garrison Hall to a local medical examining officer, and was found to bo physically fit in all respccts except that he was more shortsighted than tho standard prescribed in tho regulations. The medical officcr therefore marked him down as "unfit," but, seeing that the man's sight was normal with his glasses, and that he was otherwise eligible, added a suggestion that he should be employed in the Army Service Corps or in clerical work if the Director of Medical Services approved. The recruit then interviewed the Director, who brusquely refused to give a decision one way or tho other, and told him to take his papers to the Recruiting Office. This he did. Tho recruiting officer in due course presented the papers to the Director, who again failed either to approve or disapprove the recommendation, but found fault on some trifling and ridiculous teohnical ground with the form in which the papers ha 3 been filled in by the examining officer. Tho recruit was later on given his papers to take back to the doctor, who attached a-note,directing attention to what he had previously written. Yesterday, the matter once more came before Colonel Purdy, and for the third time he failed either to approve or reject the doctor's recommendation, but instead, according to our ' correspondent's statement, added a note reiterating his former demand, and stating that medical officers must not attempt to dictate, or make suggestions, to the Director of Medical Services. In the meantime the recruit does not know whether ho is rejected or not, and the head of the Medical Service is wasting his time in a futile and childish correspondence with a subordinate official for having had the effrontery to make a suggestion to him. If this peculiar incident were an isolated ono it might be passed over, but unhappily it appears to bo little more than a fair average sample of the way things are being done-in the Medical Service. Colonel Puedy is an officer who can point to a long connection with the Defence Department, and there are positions no doubt in whioh he is well qualified to do useful work. It is our unpleasant, but necessary, duty to direct attention to the fact that as Director of Medical Services he cannot be desoribed as the right man in the right place.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19150612.2.18

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 4

Word count
Tapeke kupu
487

THE MEDICAL SERVICE Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 4

THE MEDICAL SERVICE Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2486, 12 June 1915, Page 4

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