PROPOSED SALARY SCALE

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 186, 3 May 1940, Page 10

PROPOSED SALARY SCALE

Part-Time Medical Staff WELLINGTON BOARD’S APPROVAL The principle of the visiting medical staff being paid on the basis of an annual salary scale was reaffirmed by the "Wellington Hospital Board at its meeting last night, and a proposed agreement for the future medical staffing of the hospital, recommended by a special committee which consisted of board members and the medical staff, was approved. An amendment by Air. A. IL Carman, who suggested a different salary scale, was defeated. The chairman, Mr. J. Glover, said the scheme was a splendid thing for the hospital and patients, and would do justice to those doctors who had given their services in an honorary capacity for so many years.

The committee recommend that the following should be the rates of annual salaries paid for the various positions: Five senior physicians at £5OO a year; one assistant physician (fever hospital), £300; two assistant physicians, £225; one consulting cardiologist, £150; one consulting dermatologist, £150; eight senior surgeons, £500: seven assistant surgeons, £300: one obstetrician, £500; one assistant obstetrician, £300; four V.D. outpatient officers, £200: one senior anaesthetist and teacher. £250; six anaesthetists, £200; one orthopaedic surgeon, £5OO. Hours Of Work. It was also recommended that the officers appointed to tlie above positions be required to work as follows: Senior physicians, three sessions of three hours a week, or their equivalent; junior physicians, two sessions of three hours a week, etc.; cardiologist and dermatologist, one session of three hours a week, etc.; senior and junior surgeons, three sessions of three hours a week, etc.: obstetricians, no fixed sessions; V.D. officers, four hours a week: anaesthetists, two sessions of three hours a week, etc.: orthopaedic surgeon, three sessions of three hours a week, etc. "\ Amendment Moved. Mr. Carman, moving the amendment, said lie was unable to agree to the proposed salaries, specially when it was considered that the medical profession was declining to enter into a contract with rhe Government in connexion with the general practitioner arrangement for social security benefits. He moved that the salaries of the part-time visiting staff be on a "per session" basis as follows: —30/- a session for seniors and 20/- a session for juniors. This would average out at £234 a year for seniors for a nine-hour week and £156 a year for juniors, which equalled, on a 40hour week, more than £lOOO a year for seniors. Mrs. Knox Gilmer said they greatly appreciated tlie co-operation of the medical men on the committee. The work took nearly two years, there were many meetings, and all aspects of the questions were thoroughly thrashed out. Mrs. Gilmer said the committee was asking tlie board to accept the proposals. The basis accepted for Wellington might be the basis for the whole of New Zealand, and should be submitted to tlie Department of Health by the board. Air. W. Atkinson said that £lO/10/a week for a part-time job seemed a tremendous amount, and if the doctors were only going to work nine hours tr week they would be "in a good spot.” Praise for Doctors. He was not a member of the committee, said Air. F. Castle, but he agreed with Mrs. Knox Gilmer that tlie question of payment for the visiting staff had been gone into thoroughly, lie was prepared to accept the report. It marked a very important change in (lie conduct of Wellington Hospital, and Air. Castle added that he would like to express Ills appreciation to the medical men who bad served the hospital over a. large number of years. The step was balf-way toward ultimately having a full-time stipendiary staff, but changes should be made gradually. He did not think anybody could suggest a better salary scale than that proposed. The chairman said a suggestion had been made some time ago that the new scheme would cost £20,000 a year, and that lie was trying to rush it through without the question being discussed by the board. This was altogether untrue. Had tlie board decided to have a full-time stipendiary staff it would have cost at least £17,000 to £lB,OOO a year, but tlie proposed scheme would cost just over £ll,OOO. Referring to the suggestion tliat doctors would work only nine hours a week, the chairman said that when necessary they would possibly work 19 hours a week. He was sure that if a doctor considered .that a patient should be seen every day he would visit the hospital whether it was the day for his session or not. He had faith in the doctors trad knew they would do the honourable thing, and that patients would not suffer.