Charleville Times (Brisbane, Qld. : 1896 - 1954), Friday 6 March 1942, page 6


AUEN

I " STAY A FIXED TIME " j Mr. Baker's Views

The Government's plan to appoint refngee doctors to outback areas-was endorsed in principle toy Mr. Frank Baker. M. P. ('Maranoa), tout sucb doctors should .be required to give an undertaking that they -would remain in their' country centre? a definite period, he said.

The Government had set up a speciul medical committee to examine the qualifications o£ 80 refugee doctors, and if they passed the test they would be sent to small country centres, Mr. Baker stated.

Large " numbers of Australian doctors were serving in the fighting forces, and many more -were about to go, he pointed out. This was essential, as it was unthinkable that our fighting men should not have all the skilled medical attention they required. It also ?was extremely undesirable that the community at home should lack adequate medical services; but there were insufficient doctors of Australian registration to go

around.

LURE OF THE CITIES

The obvious remedy wa3 the licensing of refugee doctors, many of whom were highly skilled men, to serve in such areas' as were lacking adequate medical service, Mr. Baker said. Some alien doctors had obtained permission in the last year or two to practice at various places in Australia, and the majority had gone to country districts. The big cities,-with their bigger opportunities and higher fees, remained a constant temptation to them, however, and some of these doctors had forsaken their country practices. They had remained only sufficiently long to "get into the running" and then bad lost no time in seeking the bright lights of the big

cities.

.The Government had to guard against two things, Mr. Baker stated. One was thai these" alien doctors "did

ligt congregate in the big centres of Xfopulatlon; 'the other, that provision hie made for the protection of the interests of those Australian doctors who had left goojd practices to serve tlieir country. The. standing of all alien doctors would have to be reviewed in the light of post-war conditions. Personally, he would be in.-clined to adopt a rather sympathetic altitude towards such of them as had shown their thankfulness for the refuge Australia had .afforded by remaining in the outback centres to attend to the meidical needs of those areas. He would not be so sympathetic to those who had capitalised on the absence in the lighting forces of Australian doctors to ''make hay" in the big cities.