MEDICAL SERVICES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3115, 20 June 1917, Page 6

MEDICAL SERVICES

FOR CIVILIAN POPULATION

MINISTER REPLIES TO B.M.A.

Ration published Jic Health (the Hon. G. W. Russell) in. Wi£^ CT i al . 0t " t, - u> P™Posa's <>f the British t! ,n *T Cto ?' ,or m 'litarv' service. Russell replies that ns they are the con- - £™£? 8 -Minister-of Defence he can 1"P 1 "1011 -upon them. the first and most important of the recommendations of the B.M.A. was that ■an advisory board should be sot up, to which, the military and the civil mithoriPes could apply for advice and a*sist&nco the Tioard to consist of six members W the B.M.A. Of this proposal Mr. Kussell approves. ~A " °tJl e l - proposal- of the B.M.A. wai that the services of anv applicaut for .Registration under the Medical Practttioners' Act should be placed first at the disposal of the Minister of Defence and secondly of the Minister of Public iHeaJth. ■ Mr. - Russell's replv on this (point is: "I agree to thus, and if approved by. the Minister of Defence am proparftl to bring down legislation to -ive effect ffi it." ° ',iw 6 J £inis £ p asrees also to ' the request that the matter of the use and distribtitJon,,.?i newly-qualified practitioners •.should be referred to the advisory board bnt he''stipulates that the hospital and gW. hospital services should have hrst claim on recently-qualified New Seated medical graduates. I The B.M.A. made this verv important jecommondaton: "That an effort be jmade to prevent men in active practice grom changing their place of practice , ttunng; ; the period of the war without •hr £? rmission of * ne Miuistor of Public L™W I» ]»s reply on this point the • IMmister has apparently read "active service- for "active practice," for he Bias replied as follows: "This is not-quite clear, but I understand the proposal is tnat legislation shall be brought in to prevent medical.-men who-may engasje an active service settling down after the war in. any other town'or district than that 111 which they resided prior to engaging,']* niJita-rj- ser yico without 'tin .wmsent of the Minister of Public Health ■■ ir-t *T 3 the ™<>aning of it,' I should Pike to:"take a little further time to con Sirter so important a matter." ■ The association asked that anv necessary legislation should dulv jthe interests of the medical profession and should remnin in: force only duriuf I the period of the war and subsequent /•demobilisation. The Minister asks for s tapre clear definition of what is meant bi * duly safeguarding the interests of thi JprofeMion," saying that without such ! definition he is unable to express ai opinion on the proposal. A further sue ■, Sestion- of the association that. the ex jpense of bringing into operation am . .■administering the proposed scheme shouh Jbe borne by the Government is also me *y the. Minister with a Tcquest for a-i .exact statement of what is meant by it ■fie asks the association to state i'ulli :j*rhat is contemplated by the paragraph in their list of recommendations. As one of the means that might h ; adopted to obtain doctors for district now without sufficient medical men th association made the suggestion." that 'th. ~fc.overnment should advertise for doctor (for these districts, offering, jn, additioi ■to the. emoluments to be (derived fron practice, an honorarium of, say, Jls6i .per annum (captain's pay), with travel -, .ling allowance. The Minister replies a follows: "I am unable to agree to th. -proposals. A clear income of ,£GOO pe Tear is all that I feel justified 'in. com .nutting the Government to. I am pre .pared to accept the proposal of the asso Iciation - that payment shall be by sub -.eidy,. and while agreeing to guarante. mi income of £m a year, wish it under stood that the Government subsidy woul< ■ foe only a sufficient sum to make up an' - deficiency between the actual receipt's o .the medical practitioner and the JCCOO this, I may say, is practically the in .come of the men who are on active ser ivice, and I do not feel justified in offer uig a higher salary to civilian practition jrs. With regard to travelling expenses X am prepared to allow up to .£IOO pe year towards the coat of maintain™ motor-car, but cannot accept the sugges tion of the association, made by tele phone to the Public Health Department that .£2.50 should be set aside for thi, purpose." Mr. Russell concludes his letter as fol lows:—.l wish to say. therefore, tha while agreeing in general to the pro posals of the association, I am not pre pared to commit myself not to ' brini £own legislation of a compulsory charac • ter, enabling the Government, if its find it necessary, to locate doctors in dis trict6 which have been depleted for mili t-ary. purposes. I think, however, tha tho advisory board scheme should. firs receive a trial, and even if compulsor legislation should be brought down, i should bo only of a tentative nature, ti be brought in by Order-hi-Council. Am I beg to give your association an assur ance that I would only recommend' th Government to employ the compulsor clauses of the Act when it became' neces sary to do so in the interests of th civilian population, of tho country."