MEDICAL TRAINING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 26 May 1943, Page 3

MEDICAL TRAINING

MINISTER’S RECENT STATEMENT CHALLENGED BY DOCTOR McMILLAN NEED OF 200 GRADUATES A YEAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, May 25. Challenging the statement of the Minister of Education that whereas 270 students were taking the first year in medicine, a total of 90 graduates yearly would provide New Zealand with the necessary number of doctors by 1952. Dr. D. G. McMillan stated that the Dean of the Medical Faculty had said that one general practitioner to every 1000 people was the optimum, whereas in the year 1937 the actual position in New Zealand was one full-time general practitioner to 3135 people. On the dean's standard, therefore, New Zealand required 1567 general practitioners, and must train over 200 graduates a year.

MR MASON DISAGREES

FIGURE OF 200 OBVIOUSLY EXCESSIVE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) DUNEDIN, May 25. “I cannot agree with Dr McMillan s statement that" Now Zealand needs over 200 graduates yearly if the number of full-time general practitioners is to be raised and maintained at over 1500.' said the Minister of Education, MiMason, tonight. The Minister was replying to criticism by Dr McMillan, of the Minister's review of the future needs of the Dominion in respect to medical practitioners. “Let it be supposed,” Mr Mason said, “that the average student qualifies at the age of 25 and works till he is 65, a working life of 40 years. Before the retirement of the students graduating this year there would be 40 times 200 additional students in practice, a total of 8000 medical men in practice at one time, at the end of that period. No possible allowance for deaths, specialists and entrants into State and hospital services can reduce this figure to the 1500 which Dr McMillan says is sufficient. It is obvious that the figure of 200 graduates each year is excessive.”

The Minister said that as a result of a conference with the Otago University Council this. afternoon he believed it would be possible to take steps in the immediate future to strengthen the staff of the Otago Medical School. “The staff urgently requires strengthening to deal with the large number of medical students being catered for,” he added.