§ Dr. SHIELSasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies how much below establishment strength are the medical and sanitary services of Nigeria, Gold Coast, Sierra Leone, Kenya, and Tanganyika, respectively; what steps are being taken to fill the vacancies; and who is responsible for recruiting and selecting the required personnel?
§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREAs regards the West African Medical Staff, at present there are 19 vacancies in Nigeria, 13 in the Gold Coast and nine in Sierra. Leone. Nine selected candidates are receiving instruction in this country in tropical medicine and eight more will commence instruction in the new year. There are no vacancies in Kenya and only one in Tanganyika, The vacancies and terms of service are advertised regularly in the medical Press, and the attention of the universities and teaching schools is drawn to those services periodically; while advantage is taken of the presence of senior medical officers on leave in this country to visit the medical schools and interest the students in the Colonial services. Selection of candidates is made by the Secretary of State with the assistance of a small sub-committee containing two medical men of distinction who advise as to the suitability of candidates who are interviewed by them.