asked the Minister for Health if he will state what arrangements have been made for the remuneration of medical graduates who are doing their compulsory period of one year's internship in an approved hospital in this country prior to registration.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Remuneration of Medical Graduates.
Arrangements for the payment of salaries to interns will be primarily matters between them and the hospitals concerned. In order to facilitate the transition to the new system it has however been arranged that for the five years from 1st January, 1953, refunds will be made from the Hospitals' Trust Fund of the expenditure incurred by voluntary hospitals approved for interns on the payment of the salaries—up to a determined amount— and the maintenance of the excess number of interns over the number of junior house physicians and house surgeons at present employed in those hospitals.
In approved local authority hospitals the similar payments will rank for recoupment from the health services grant.
I appreciate the Minister's co-operation in this matter, but would he indicate, as his reply has not really indicated, what amount thesegraduates could expect to receive? I may say that in England, so far as I know, they have been paid at the rate of £150 a year. Would the grants the Minister is making enable graduates to receive that amount here?
So far as I know they are being paid from £80 to £150 plus board. I am prepared to sanction amounts up to £150 plus board.