Mr. T. WILSON (by Private Notice)asked the Minister of National Service what steps he has taken to provide an adequate medical service for the civil population in view of the present serious epidemic of influenza?
§ Sir A. GEDDESAll arrangements made in connection with the employment of doctors under the Ministry of National Service, and all withdrawals of doctors from civil life for service with the armed forces of the Crown during the past year, have been made with full regard to the contingency of a widespread epidemic disease affecting the population. Influenza has been more or less prevalent in epidemic form for some months, and the calls on the civil medical profession have consequently been heavy. Simultaneously, severe fighting on a 1292 great scale in all theatres of war hag imposed an additional heavy strain on our medical resources.
In April, Parliament conferred powers on the Minister of National Service which enabled him medically to examine men of military age at any time. In view of possible emergencies this power was largely used, approximately 7,000 doctors being employed and very large numbers of men being examined.
Concurrently, with the increase of influenza, the number of doctors employed on medical board work has been reduced, thereby rendering an increasingly large body of medical men available for exclusively civil practice. The number of medical board sessions has been reduced from approximately 3,500 to 1,000 per week. This has not affected recruiting, as the pool formed by examining men in advance has been sufficient to maintain the flow of men to the forces.
In order further to reinforce the doctors available to attend the civil population, I have given instructions that all medical examinations in advance are to be suspended for the present. Pensions examinations and the examinations of men reporting for service will, of course, continue. Arrangements have also been made to reinforce the medical staffs available at hospitals, so far as our resources will permit.
In conclusion, I should like to express my deep appreciation of the way in which the medical profession has co-operated with the Ministry of National Service in meeting unprecedented, and often conflicting, demands for medical personnel.
§ Mr. PRINGLEHas the right hon. Gentleman any information as to the effect upon the existing medical service of the country by the epidemic of influenza among doctors themselves, and, in view of that, is he not prepared to suspend the calling-up of doctors for the present and thus make other doctors available for civilian practice?
§ Sir A. GEDDESI have not got any figures showing the number of medical men down with influenza themselves, but I know the number is very considerable. We have released from our call-up a very large number of medical men who are now devoting the whole of their time to civil practice. We are putting at the disposal of districts where special assistance 1293 is required whole-time medical men on some of the London boards. We cannot create medical men for the occasion, and we have to do the best we can and spread the resources we have got. It so happens that at the moment there is a very heavy demand, as everyone will understand, for young, fit doctors for the front. The casualties in the medical profession have been very heavy, and we are calling up a certain number of fit young men because we have nobody else to send actually to the front, and by the front I mean the real front—the fighting line. We have arranged for the Navy to come to the assistance of the Army, and a certain number of young naval surgeons are going to France and have gone. We are also doing our best to get older and less fit men made available at home, but the pressure all round is so great that it is not a simple problem of saying, "Do this," or "Do that," One has to see where any small pool of doctors can be found and to move that pool to the place where it is most required.
§ Mr. PRINGLECan the right hon. Gentleman not secure this, that no medical practitioner over forty should be sent out of the country now?
§ Sir A. GEDDESIt would be very difficult to give a definite pledge of this sort. We cannot give pledges, but we are doing the best we can.