PUBLIC HEALTH,

Hokitika Guardian, 25 March 1920, Page 3

PUBLIC HEALTH,

REORGANISING THE DEPARTMENT.

SOME APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCED.

As an outcome of the recommendations made bv the medical officers of the

Public Health Department during the sitting of the Royal Commission oil the influenza epidemic last year, as to the

absolute need of the Depaitment'being strengthened and its sphere of activity extended, the reorganisation proposals are now under way (says the “Journal of Public Health”). At the present time tlie reorganisation possible lies in the direction of increasing the number of health districts from four to eight 1 but later it is intended to seek legislative authority to permit of an internal rearrangement of responsibility It is ultimately proposed to make more distinction between the work respecting

hospitals and charitable aid and that concerning public health by the creation of two branches under one responsible, officer. To ensure this it is the inten-

ion to recommend that, the combined

position at present held by the Inspec-tor-General of Hospitals and Chief Health Officer be changed to that of Director-General of Public Health, who will have associated with him a deputy-directpr-general, under whom the two main branches of the Department shall operate. These in' turn will be controlled by responsible officers whose respective titles will be inspector of hospitals and director of public health. Dr Wylie, who has been appointed Inspector of Hospitals, is one of the best known of the medical men of the Dominion, He bad considerable war experience, serving in various capacities from May, 1915, until August, 1918. Since then he lias developed fiist the Chalmers Military Hospital at Christchurch, then the Military Hospital at Trent ham. The duties of Dr Wylie with the Department will be to relieve the inspector-general and his dtp.tty of the general inspection of hospitals from the clinical side, and to advise upon the clinical aspect of the Department’s activities in all branches of medicine other than the prevention and treatment of infectious disease. Tbe appointment of an assistant chief health officer is intended to strengthen the public health side of the Department’s administration. This latter position has been filled by the promotion of Dr M. H, Watt, at present District Health Officer. Wellington. Dr Watt is jut M.R. of the University of New Zealand. 11l 1910 lie obtained the Travelling .Medical Scholarship of that University. In the following year he undertook a course of post-graduate study in English hospitals, also passing the examination for the diploma of M.R.C.S. (Eng.), L.R.O.P. (Lond.L To avoid confusion it is proposed at a later date, when tlie legislative power is available, to alter the titles of tlie Chief Health Officer and Inspector-General of Hospitals (Dr Valentine) and of Ins deputy (Dr Frengley) to Director-Gen-eral of Public Health and Deputy Di-rector-General respectively.