asked the Minister for Defence whether his attention has been drawn to statements made in the Journal of the Irish Medical Association with regard to the shortage of doctors in the Army; and whether he has any comment to make on these statements.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Shortage of Army Doctors.
92.
My attention has been directed to an editorial in the June, 1962, issue of the Journal of the Irish Medical Association regarding the Army Medical Corps. I do not propose to comment on it beyond stating some facts about the conditions of service in that Corps.
Promotion: Doctors are appointed initially in the rank of Lieutenant; on completing three years' service in that rank, they may be promoted to the rank of Captain; on completing nine years' service in the rank of Captain, they may be promoted to the rank of Commandant. They may, however, be promoted earlier if there are vacancies in the establishment. Promotion to the ranks of Lt.-Colonel and Colonel is normally regulated by the occurrence of vacancies in the establishment. At present the medical officers in the Army Medical Corps are 1 Colonel, 5 Lt.-Colonels, 25 Commandants and 7 Captains.
Pay: There are single and married rates of pay, but for the sake of convenience I shall confine my remarks to the married rates as single medical officers are rare. Also, I shall include the uniform allowance of £39 in the standard emoluments.
The standard emoluments (for officers appointed after 1st December, 1938) by reference to length of service and rank are:
|
£ |
|||
|
1st and 2nd year |
(Lieutenant) |
1,021 |
per annum |
|
3rd year |
( ,, ) |
1,076 |
,, ,, |
|
4th ,, |
( Captain ) |
1,208 |
,, ,, |
|
6th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,263 |
,, ,, |
|
8th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,323 |
,, ,, |
|
10th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,382 |
,, ,, |
|
12th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,479 |
,, ,, |
|
13th ,, |
(Commandant) |
1,551 |
,, ,, |
|
15th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,612 |
,, ,, |
|
17th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,675 |
,, ,, |
|
19th ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,736 |
,, ,, |
|
21st ,, |
( ,, ) |
1,790 |
,, ,, |
The emolyments of a Lieutenant-Colonel and Colonel appointed after 1st December, 1938, are as follows:—
|
£ |
|||
|
Lieutenant-Colonel |
On appointment |
1,918 |
per annum |
|
after 2 years |
1,970 |
,, ,, |
|
|
after 4 years |
2,100 |
,, ,, |
|
|
Colonel |
On appointment |
2,196 |
,, ,, |
|
after 2 years |
2,245 |
,, ,, |
|
|
after 4 years |
2,297 |
,, ,, |
In addition to the foregoing, children's allowances at the rate of £20 per annum for each eligible child are payable. There is also provision for specialist pay at the rates of £78 and £154 per annum for medical officers filling hospital appointments as junior and senior specialists.
Taking the promotion and pay conditions together, it will be seen that every doctor joining the Army Medical Corps is assured of promotion to the rank of Commandant after 12 years' service and of an income of at least £1,790 after 20 years' service. He also has prospects of additional advancement which are by no means negligible and which compare very favourably with those available in other corps.
Pre-1938 Rates of Pay for Medical Officers: These rates by any standard were excessively high and new rates more in keeping with the standards of remuneration in the Army and in the country generally were introduced in 1938 for officers appointed to the service after 1st December, 1938. The old rates have been continued for those officers who were in the service before that date. The Irish Medical Association eventually acquiesced in this development.
Comparison with rates of pay for Medical Officers in the British Army: No section of our Defence Forces has its remuneration regulated by the standards obtaining in the British Army.
Medical Officers for the Congo: My Department advertised recently for two doctors to serve temporarily as commissioned officers with the 37th Battalion in the Congo, as a sufficient number of medical officers of the Army Medical Corps had not volunteered for this duty. The total period of service, including about five months in the Congo, was to be seven months. I considered that the conditions offered were very attractive and a number of applications were received. The applicants were interviewed and appointments were offered to two of them, but I regret to say that they have now declined the offers. I cannot but think that the editorial and the "Important Notice" in the June issue of the Irish Medical Association are not entirely dissociated from their decision. I would have hoped that whatever grievances the Association had over conditions in the Army Medical Corps generally, they would have supported this particular effort which involves the national interest and prestige.
That is surely a reply that could be sent to the Deputy.
Surely the Minister is not serious when he says that that will encourage doctors to join the Army?
Does the Minister not consider that the time has now come when an improvement in the establishment of the command medical officer would greatly enhance the intake of doctors into the Army?
I do not quite see the point——
If the Minister raises the establishment to that of Lieutenant Colonel, will he not thus engender sufficient interest in the Army to encourage doctors to join?
Or the Minister could pay the top man £6,000 a year.