MEDICAL STUDENTS

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3005, 16 February 1917, Page 6

MEDICAL STUDENTS

QUESTION OP EXEMPTION

THIRD YEAR MEN MUST SERVE

Some discussion has taken place recently, especially in Dunedin, regarding the decision of the Government to exempt only fourth and fifth year, and not third year, t medical students from military service. A statement on this subject was made by the Hon. G. W. Russell yesterday. "Tho matter has been fully considered," he said, "and! it has been resolved that the exemption shall apply to third year students until after the examinations iu May vext are over. The intention is that third year students shall be allowed to sit for their examinations in May, but that afterwards they are not to he exempt from the ordinary operations of the Military Service Act. Fourth and fifth ,ycar students are to be exempted l altogether. I should .like to say that- the Public Health Department fully recognises the value of the work done- during the war by the advanced students of the Medical School. But at the same time, while the whole country is required to supply men, I as Minister of Public Health and in charge of hospitals, fully recognising that there may ho possible danger of a shortage of medical men because of what is being done, still hold' very strongly-the opinion that nothing counts now but that New Zealand should sent every possible man to help to win the war. I feel that whatever risks are involved in this decision, the mere fact of a man having selected a certain profession for his future should not stand in the way of his fulfilling the primary obligation that is on all at present —to do liis part iu winning the war. Certain statements have been made in Otago tbat the' authorities have held out inducements to men to continue their studies, 'and that assurances have been given on this point. I have made careful inquiries into this, and I have tli© jwsitive statement of the InspectorGeneral of Hospitals that no assurances have been given to medical students by him or by anybody on behalf of the Public Health Department. I think that in allowing third year students to sit for examination we arc going as far as it is possible for us to go. After that they must fulfil their obligations ■under the Military Service Act. Wo all hope that the war will h« over this year, and if so there will be a large number of medical men returning from the front, and those engaged at the camps and! on the Medical Boards will be released from military duty. I can see no reason why. we should give any further exemption to third year medical -students."