§ 83. Mr. Hastingsasked the Minister of Health whether he is aware of the number of qualified doctors who are leaving this country for abroad because of the difficulty of undertaking service as general practitioners in the National Health Service without capital; and whether he will cause an inquiry to be made as to the provision of increased facilities for entrance to this service.
§ Mr. Walker-SmithAs regards the first part of the Question on the numbers of doctors leaving this country I would refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 24th November to my hon. Friend the Member for Carlisle (Dr. D. Johnson). On the second part, the numbers of doctors providing general medical services under the National Health Service as principals in England and Wales increased from 17,204 in 1952 to 19,343 in 1957, a rise of 12.4 per cent., and the increase has continued since then. This does not suggest that an inquiry is needed into further measures to facilitate entry into general practice.