Tropical Medical

Training

IT is expected that the Australian Gov ernment will provide funds to enable the University of Melbourne to main tain at least one young medical graduate at the Fiji Medical School to obtain a special knowledge of tropical diseases.

The Fiji Government has intimated to the Australian Government its willing ness to assist in such an arrangement.

The development is the result of the anxiety of the Australian authorities to take every reasonable precaution against the introduction of tropical diseases from Asia, through the rapidly growing airmail services.

It is to be hoped that the Australian authorities will go further in practical re cognition of the valuable work being done at the medical school in Suva. Facilities now exist there for the complete train ing of native medical practitioners, and selected men (natives) from Fiji, Samoa.

Cook Group, Tonga. Gilbert and Ellice.

Solomon Islands, and New Hebrides are now being successfully taught there, in a four years’ course, to undertake medical work among their own peoples. Aus tralia, for some reason, has held aloof from this admirable plan. A selected number of Papuans have been given medi cal training in Sydney. New Guinea has done virtually nothing. Why cannot a selected number of Papuan and New Guinea natives be trained in Suva, along with the natives of other territories? The cost of the four years’ course is very small.