HC Deb 24 April 1941 vol 371 cc263-4W
Mr. Groves

asked the Minister of Health, having regard to the dissatisfaction concerning the recruitment of medical men for the Forces and the needs of the civilian medical services, what is the machinery for securing that the best use is made of the medical man-power available since the beginning of the war?

Mr. E. Brown

The procedure adopted for this purpose by the Central Medical War Committee when considering the cases of individual doctors was described in my reply to a Question by my hon. Friend on 25th March. More general questions concerning the allocation of medical man-power have been considered by the Committee presided over by Sir Arthur Robinson, as to which I would refer to the replies given to a number of recent Questions on this subject, including that asked by my hon. Friend the Member for East Wolverhampton (Mr. Mander) on 6th February.

Sir H. Morris-Jones

asked the Minister of Health whether he can now publish the recommendations of the Committee appointed to advise on the distribution of medical man-power between the several civil and fighting services and general medical practice?

Mr. Brown

The following were the recommendations of the Committee:

  1. (i) All medical estalishments, service or civil, should be reviewed forthwith with a view to the fullest possible utilisation of medical personnel and the reduction of future demands.
  2. (ii) The services of civilian practitioners in proximity to troops might be further extended.
  3. (iii) Where the three Services in this country are represented in the same or adjacent areas, further economy should be effected by the adoption of the principle of area service.
  4. (iv) The possibility of temporarily releasing practitioners from the Services for civilian work through the winter months when the demands of the civilian poulation are greatest should be carefully examined.
  5. (v) The employment of alien practitioners admitted to the Register in civil hospitals and the Services should be further extended.
  6. (vi) The employment of Final-year students as house surgeons or house physicians in civil hospitals should be set on foot.
  7. (vii) The question of the employment of more practitioners from the Dominion of Canada and other Dominions should be further explored.
  8. (viii) The possibility of recruitment of practitioners from the United States of America is a new factor and action in regard to it should be taken as quickly as possible.
  9. (ix) An effective organisation for the settlement of questions of priority should be established.

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