Hospital Can Give Information to Press: B.M.A. Attitude

Grey River Argus, 13 October 1948, Page 3

Hospital Can Give Information to Press: B.M.A. Attitude

The recent ban on grvffig information of accident cases to the Dress, imposed by the Surgeon-Superintend-ent of the Gtey Hospital (Dr S. Barclay) has been lifted. In giving this information to the meeting of the Hospital Board last night, Dr Barclay said: — “I recently received a letter from the British Medical Association, Wellington, the gist of which was that in releasing somewhat more information to the press than we had been prepared to do, we would be carrying out a practice which is fairly widely accepted among some of the larger North Island hospitals, and to which the B.M.A. sees no objection. I understand that this matter will be gone into more fully at the next meeting of the Medical Superintendents' Association. “Personally I cannot agree entirely with the opinion forwarded to me. but as the further information which is apparently given in the North Island, does not involve a breach of law, I felt that the proper thing to do was to give this additional information to the press. I discussed the matter with the chairman, who agreed. I then wrote to theyeditors of the local papers informing them that we were prepared to give certain information”.