§ 23. Sir E. Graham-Littleasked the Minister of Health whether he will now revise the present official scheme for dealing with air-raid casualties, in view of the fact that this scheme was planned in peace-time before any experience was available of the nature of air-raid injuries in modern warfare, and that the most experienced surgical opinion condemns more particularly the arrangements proposed for the collection, classification and disposal of the injured persons at the time of injury when it is especially imperative to secure the most highly-skilled professional attention available?
Mr. M. MacDonaldAlthough improvements are, of course, continually being effected in the emergency hospital scheme, I do not think that the experience up to date warrants any change in the main conception of the scheme, which has the approval of experienced medical and surgical opinion generally. It is designed to secure the most highly-skilled professional attention for the greatest possible number of casualties at the earliest possible moment.
§ 25. Sir Arthur Harbordasked the Minister of Health whether, owing to the evacuation scheme in operation on the East Coast, and to the serious decline in work in consequence, he will consider giving preference to doctors thrown out of work thereby to enter the services, or for appointments to war-time posts?
Mr. MacDonaldYes, Sir. A number of doctors normally practising in the towns involved are being given appointments in the Emergency Medical Service. I am sending my hon. Friend a copy of a circular recently issued on the subject. In addition, the Central Medical War Committee is giving preference to other doctors in these towns in submitting names to the Service Departments for 987 such vacancies as exist in their medical branches.