THE HUNDRED DOCTORS

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2506, 6 July 1915, Page 6

THE HUNDRED DOCTORS

FOR IMPERIAL SERVICE DIFFICULTIES OF THE COVERNMENT, : ' ; ■•i.'., ; "■ i ; ; A few weeks ago .'.the Imperial Army. Council asked :New .Zealand .to supply a :hundred doctors to; go Home to undergo- ..-si''...course;;-' of training with the R.A.iM.C. preparatory to going on service. .: Tho appeal was; published by tho Pefence;MiniSterliere, and .doctors have ypluiiteerid, .but 110 . definite announcenieiit ' of ' what : tho Government . intend to do'..has .been made'vet.' j .;. ''V', >The Minister of Defence, when asked about the - matter last night,, made tho following statementTho position regarding these 100 medical men that we have, .been." asked for is not altogethereasy: .-We have in : the first place to be very .careful that 'not sAid men away 111 such numbers as to leave the civil. population in any ;.part. of .. NewZealand; inadequately,'; ! provided .-with medical services.. .Another point is, ■the Defence;' Department has to look ahead to; see what its .requirements in medical men will bo for tho various reinforcement drafts, aud for oar requirements , at- Treiitliam. You will understand that these are considerable when I say:^ha : t, : up till:'December'riext -wo have to-find; 19 medical officers to go with -tho Reinforcements and the Trontham,llegiment,:and we requiro 12 medical -officers iii Trentham Camp. Up to Juno next wei shall require an additional 16 doctors—a' grand total of 47 in tho year.' Some or perhaps all of the 12 now at. Trentham .will 'go with rein forcements, but their places at tho camp will have.' to bo filled by others. All this has 1 to; be considered along with, the, question, of; ; sending 100 medical men Home to go through the R.A.M.C. Corps;' 1 ■ It involves l tho, consideration 'ofthe Defence Department and the Public Health Department as well. I- am not in a position to say to-daj; 'Jiow'many applications we Lave, received. The hundred medical officers for England will probably not bo leaving in any event .until the .next Reinforcements go in August;': -I -hope, the doctors who have applied will he patient about the apparent delay, because SVe are trying to do our : , best,-: and -we- havo to look ahead for ; sibilities ft: