AN APOLOGY

Hokitika Guardian, 23 July 1930, Page 3

AN APOLOGY

TO AIEDICAL PROFESSION. FROM DR. VALENTINE. < By Telegraph—Press Association). TIMARU, July 22. On tlie occasion of a recent deputation to the Minister of Health m Wellington regarding the use of small wards in hospitals, as private wards, Dr. T. H. A. Valintine (Director-Gen-eral of Health) said:—“The medical profession wanted watching.’* Referring to this matter at the opening of a new maternity hospital at Temuka to-day, Dr. Valintine said he very much regretted that lie said rather an unfortunate thing in Wellington. The occasion was when a deputation waited on the Minister and asked him to allow some small wards in hospitals to be used as private wards. Of that suggestion he was not in favour, and in the heat of arguing, he was constrained to say quite unwittingly detrimental to the medical profession. As a matter of fact, lie said unfortunately “the medical profession wanted watching.” “That was an ungenerous statement for me to make,” he .said, “because I am sensible to the excellent work the medical profession has done, and is doing, throughout .the length and breadth of the countrj'. With a population of barely a million and a-lialf we have 700 doctors, and 300 of these were New Zealand trained, and we have surgeons, physicians, .obstetrians and bacteriorologists second to none in the world, and therefore T take this opportunity of saying how sorry I am that, in the heat of argument, I overstepped the mark. I suppose it is a sign I am getting old. I have been through many experiences during the course of my official career, and I don’t think I have forgotten myself in the past. 1 said too much, and 1 apologise to the members of the medical profession.”