HOUSE SURGEONS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 5089, 16 February 1927, Page 3

HOUSE SURGEONS.

POSITION AT THAMES HOSPITAL. ' BOARD DISCUSSES APPOINTMENTS An interesting discussion concerning the appointment of house surgeons and the salary they should receive took place at Mcmday’s meeting of tne Thames Hospital Board. The discussion was brought about by a letter from Dr. H. B. Lange accepting an appointment as house sur.|tgeon at Thames, but stating that he was not prepared ta stay any specified time. Should such an arrangement not be satisfactory to the board he would be prepared to stay for one month at. a salary at the rate of £l5O a year to enable further applications to be called. The chairman (Mr W. E. Hale) said that he had had an interview with Dr. Lange, who was not prepared to accept, the’ terms of the appointment and the committee had dispensed with his services. Dr. Phyllis Moir h,ad been communicated with through the Dunedin Medical School authorities and .had accepted the appointment an the terms laid down by the board. Mr J. W. Danby said that in order to obtain the services of a, male house surgeon it would be necessary for the board ta increase the amount of the salary offered on appointment. The chairman said that he did not think it was the salary that counted so much as the size of the hospital. Mt J. Lange said that the board might have done all right, in making the appointment, .that it 4 la( l- The Thames Hospital was no good viewed - from the standpoint of a house surgeon. The board would have to maxe the position attractive if it desired to obtain the services off male house surgeons. The sum of £250 a year at least should be offered, and the board comld make up its mind that, it would be compelled to pay. at least that sum to get the young male doctors. The chairman replied that he did not think so. Mr Lange, who is the father of Dr. H. B. Lange, retorted to the chairman : You don’t know anything about the position, or you would not make such a statement. • The chairman * replied that tne board could have filled the position two cr three times over if it had offered £250 a year. Mr Lange: You could not; you are ' only guessing. I know what lam saying Is correct. • The chairman said that he jvas not in the habit of guessing, and could vouch 'for what he had said. THEATRE SISTERS. Mr Danby said that sooner or later the beard would have to increase the salaries paid ta its staff if efficiency and contentment were to be maintained. He instanced how the board had advertised for a theatre sister throughout the Dominion at £llO a year, and asked what was the result. The chairman answered that two genuine replies had been received, and an appointment had been made, “and a most satisfactory one. too,” he concluded. Mr Danby said he was glad to hear F that. AH the was not reasonable to expect to get a highly qualified and skilful staff unless, thfi board was prepared to make the appointments attractive and pay a salary commensurate with ability and qualifications. He had seen the position of theatre sister advertised throughout the Dominion by another board,' and the salary offered had been £l5O a year. In view of the larger salaries to be had elsewhere it was not reasonable to think the Thames board cc.uld obtain the best, sister when it was only offering £llO a year. The chairman said that apparently Mr Danby was following the hospital board advertisements through the press, but he had omitted to quote an advertisement 'for 'a theatre sister which had appeared in an Auckland paper recently where the salary offered was only £lOO a year. Mr Danby replied that he preferred to be like Gladstone and his Home Rule Bill and “appeal to time.” He felt sure that the board would have the matter of paying better salaries to its stff forced upon it before long. The discussion then closed, and the appointment of Dr. P. Moir was confirmed.