§ Mr. W. BAKERasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies the authorised strength of the official medical staff in each of the Crown Colonies; whether any Colony has a staff which is not up to strength; and what steps are being taken to deal with any shortage?
§ Mr. AMERYThe figures for which the hon. Member asks are given below. As regards those Colonial medical appointments which are usually filled by recruitment in this country, it is only in the West African Medical Staff that the number of vacancies is considerable. For most other Colonial medical services there is a surplus of candidates. When vacancies occur they are advertised in the medical and other Press, and in filling appointments the Colonial Office receives assistance from the Universities, the Medical Schools, and the British Medical Association. Latterly a number of applications have been received from Dominions candidates.
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Official Medical Staff. Colony. Authorised strength. Vacancies. South African High Commission: Basutoland 11 0 Bechuanaland 6 0 Swaziland 2 0 Kenya 94 6 Northern Rhodesia 16 1 Nyasaland 22 0 Somaliland 11 0 Tanganyika 114 4 Uganda 77 2 Zanzibar 19 0 Gambia 6 0 Gold Coast 100 20 Nigeria 161 27 Sierra Leone 26 0 Cyprus 38 1 Gibraltar 7 0 Palestine 55 1 Ceylon 363 0 Mauritius 18 1 Seychelles 5 0 Fiji 68 0 Western Pacific High Commission: Gilbert and Ellice Islands 5 0 British Solomon Islands 3 0 St. Helena 2 0 Hong Kong 18 4
Colony. Authorised strength. Vacancies. Weihaiwei 2 0 Straits Settlements and Malay States 310 10 Bahamas 9 0 Barbados 11 1 Jamaica 57 0 Cayman Islands 1 0 Turks and Caicos Islands 2 0 Leeward Islands 22 2 Trinidad 39 0 Windward Islands 19 1 Bermuda 4 0 British Guiana 43 0 British Honduras 8 0 Falkland Islands 3 0 NOTE.—The figures of authorised strength relate to the whole establishment of medical officers, both those who are recruited from this country and those who are recruited locally. The figures of vacancies relate only to appointments usually filled from this country, as it is only in regard to these that definite information is available.