MEDICAL PROFESSION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2510, 10 July 1915, Page 6

MEDICAL PROFESSION

MAY BE ORGANISED . FOR SERVICE IN WAU TIME X question relating to" the organisation of the medical profession, for work ausmg out of tlio war'>as'raised in tho liouso of .Representatives yesterday afternoon. *

Joseph Ward asked the Minister of Pubho Health if lie would take steps to organise the New Zealand medical profession on lines similar to those adopted by the Commonwealth in conneotion with the war. The British Medical Association had organised Tight through Australia, and in conjunction with the Government members of the profession. • had ' given their assistance visiting hospitals where sick men or tho forces were placed for treatment. Ilio result or tlie system iti. Australia was, so far as he understood, that all through the country where members of fcbo force coming back'from, or -going to, the war, were in private hospitals,, they received- immediate.attention.; from the medial profession co-operating •■with, tho Staii medical officers of the Gov-, ornmcnt. Judging by tho amount of work .done gratuitously by. the .profession throughout . Now Zealand, he thought its_ members would bo glad to co-operate in tho, way suggested, and their sorvioes would bo of great benefit when there were wounded soldiers requiring treatment in their own localities.

• The Hon. R. H. Rhodes said that he was suro members of the profession would bo prepared to' give their services free, and a number 'had "offered already. There was a new ; Home near to the House, and the doctors in "charge of it had offered to place ten beds at the service of the Department. Tliree of the doctors had offered to attend to wounded soldiers if tho Department took advantage of the offer of the Marine Engineers' Institute in Aitken Street. This had been placed' at the disposal of the • Department, with " ail offer of a contribution of ■ something like £200 for expenses. There were numerous other 6iich instances. If it were found necessary" to-entertain Sir. Joseph Ward's proposal this would be done, and the Minister Was sure the Medical Association would bo pleased" to meet the Department in the matter. .

Mr. Alien said that wlicn the demand came from England for 100' additional medical-men for the R.A.M.C., the whole matter was discussed, and lie suggested to Dr.y Valintino that/ it iiiifihfc .bo necessary- to Organise the-med-ical service-if the men were to he sent. Dr. Valintine said that all necessary arrangements would'be' made, before medical men were withdrawn from- the country. districts, to make sufficient medical provision'for such districts. -If it were-found, impossible to. carry .out the medical service in this way,. -it might be necessary to organise the whole of the medical profession. , Dr. Thackor:, Why did you not- consult the British- Medical Association?' .

Mr. Allen: I thought it my duty-to 'consult..the' head of tho Public Health Department. 4 THE MINISTER OF DEFENCE AND THE MEDICAL PROFESSION. (To tho Editor.) Sir, —Many medical men are amazed and■: puzzled".by -the. attitude of ' tho Hon. James Allen; '; The medical profession' as a been eagor and anxious .to: play its part in this war,'as is amply evidenced by the numbers of doctors- who- have already given their services to tho Army.' One would think' that one of the first things'to tave ; been dono. was to consult the medical profession upon matters that are peculiarly its own.. On the contrary, in New, Zealand the profession has been absolutely ignored by tho military authorities, and by tho Minister of Dofence in particular. -The doctors expected daily that somo proposal for.their.organisation forassistanco in the present crisis would be brought to. their notice, but after.- wait-. ing in vain, a special meeting of doctors was convened in -Weljington of the British Medical Association, and it was resolved to submit-proposals to the Minister, with a view to assisting the authorities in their. present predicament. Twelve days ago' a letter was sent to tho Minister with an offer to meet him to;.discuss the present.state of medical military affairsi One of our proposals was to provide a sufficient medical staff for supervising _ and treating tho sick soldiers in 'Wellington, and at Berham'poro and Kaiwarra, and at other temporary hospitals. To this we havo had no reply, not even an acknowledgment. In respect to tho past, while there aro medical officers in New Zealand with active . service to their credit, ; and who have made a special study of military hygiene, thoir advice has, not beon taken nor their seryjefes availed of. .Owing to the regulations,'these officers had no means of giving expression to their opinions or of playing their proper part. The whole profession, in its inability, to help, ,-:has been ■ restive and perplexed.' Even under the new. regime, in which the publio expected greater, latitude, the | conditions,- so far from improving, have, inclined m opposite direction.: Wo pass over .the proposal that the profession'should give its services gratuitously, and the.fact that doctors are the only peoplo of whom this -is expected,' and come to the astounding revelation that Dr. Valintine has'reported to the Government. that 'if -it were necessary he. is prepared to. nationalise the medical service of this country, and this without any consultation; with the Medical Association, which is the only body representative of medical opinion in Now Zealand. :

' How can the peopled expect satisfactory conditions to exist in tho camp, or that sick soldiers will receive tho medical ' treatment that is their due when the authorities so'studiously avoid taking authoritative medical advice from: the medical profession itself? In: justice to; the medical profession as a whole,, which has .incurred censure for matters pertaining to it, hut'oyer which it has had absolutely, no control, - the. timo has iww arrived: when these facta should he made'public— l am, etc J 1 • H. E. GIBBS, M.D., Hon. Sec., B.M.A.N.Z. July 9,1915. , ,

The kernel of Dr. Gibbs's complaint is that a certain letter' written-! by him to tho Minister has not yet been acknowledged. A letter was received in the Minister's office from Dr. Gibbs oii Juno 30, the letter bearing the date of tlio previous day. This letter was : shown by Mr. Allen to a Dominion reporter last night. Following was the full test of it:— ' . "At a meeting of the Wellington Divi-. siou of the British Medical Association, it was resolved to ask the Minister of Defence if ho would kindly consent to see two or -three of. our members with a; view of discussing tho present and future conditions of medical service as affected and likely to be affected by the present abnormal conditions on account of tlio war. Wo would bo very greatly obliged if you could seo your way to seeing us some time to-morrow (Wednesday) if possible." . The letter, as may be noted, makes no reference to sickness of soldiers or any kindred topic. Mr. Allen '■ minuted that letter on .June . 30: "Arrange, if. possible, but the Hon.. Mr. Rhodes should bo iiivitod." After Mr. Allen's secretary received tlie letter back fromthe Minister, Mr. 11. M. Gore, lav secretary of tho 13.M. A;, called on him and talked with him about the interview.. Tho Minister's secretary said that Mr. Allen was very busy that day,,but.he would do .Id's lest to arrange n meeting whoii possible, Mr. Gore informed him fc-UaiM would

tion to Dr. Gibbs, and this ho did by telephone. Tho Minister's secretary presumed that after his conversation with Mr. Goro no acknowledgment of tho letter was necessary. In fact' ho states that this was agreed between him-' self and Mr. Gore. It Las not yet been possible to' arrange tho interview, but oil tlio face of it the letter does not concern a matter of supreme -urgency. The letter does not refer to siokness in camp. As to tho proposed offer of organised assistance from tho medical profession. Mr. Allen, informed a Dominion reporter that ho would bo very glad to have it, but as to tlie form it should take, and the extent to which it was needod, he would rot car© to .express any opinion. He did not feel'competent to do so. That was a, matter for the medical officers./ ■'-.