§ 65. Sir G. Nicholsonasked the Minister of Defence what difficulties there are in the way of recruitment for the Services medical services.
§ Mr. WatkinsonAs my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for War said in presenting the Army Estimates, the ending of National Service and the departure of many short service commission doctors is creating a shortage of Service medical officers. To counteract this, a wide range of new measures is being introduced which, we hope, will attract young doctors into the Armed Forces. In drawing up these measures the Service Ministers and I have had the benefit of professional advice from inside and outside the Services.
In particular, the British Medical Association has advised me that we cannot hope to attract newly qualified young doctors in adequate numbers and of good quality unless we can offer them a substantial lead over the remuneration which they could expect to get as doctors in civilian life. The Government have accepted this advice. They have therefore decided, within the framework of the Grigg procedure for the biennial 74W review of Service pay, to supplement the pay of Service doctors.
The details of all these new measures will be announced by the Service Departments in a few days.