Suva Graduation

14 New Nmp's In

Students From New Guinea Will Attend Central Medical School Next Year

Suva, Dec. 20.

THE graduation ceremony at the Central Medical School was an in formal function this year, as several of the students had already departed for their homes in other Island groups.

The presentations were made by Dr.

J. C. R. Buchanan, Director of Medical Services in the Colony, who afterwards addressed the young men.

There were fourteen graduates who had successfully completed their four years’ course—five Fijian, three Solomon Islanders, one a Fiji-born Indian, and one from each of , the Ellice Islands, American Samoa, Cook Islands, Tonga and the New Hebrides.

After a short leave at home the men will take up their new positions as Native Medical Practitioners.

In his address, Dr. Buchanan stressed the fact that their real work lay ahead and that the study of the art of medicine and reading of the human mind in order that the body might be healed, was some thing that would continue for years. On itheir return to their islands, and in taking up their new profession, they might not at first be able to apply all they had learned at the Medical School, but the knowledge they had gained would put them in the role of leaders, and in that role, by their example, they could direct their people from harmful customs and lead them towards better ways of living.

Dr. Buchanan also paid a tribute to the work of Dr. D. W. Hoodless, who

has relinquished the post after 16 years as Principal of the school, THE 14 new qualified NMPs now bring the total of graduates of the school to 285. Of these 130 were trained at the Suva Hospital between 1888 and 1929, under the system introduced by Dr.

William MacGregor, and from which the present Central Medical School evolved. Since the establishment of the School in 1930, and the inclusion of students from other South Pacific terri tories, 155 NMP certificates have been awarded.

Of the 285 graduates since 1888, 179 have been Fijians, 12 Indians from Fiji. 23 Western Samoans, 17 Gilbert and Ellice Islanders, 16 Tongans, 13 from BSI, 9 from Cook Islands, 6 from New Heb rides, 4 from Nauru, 4 Eastern Samoans and 2 students from the Union Group.

Next year, as indicated elsewhere in this issue, six students will attend the School from Papua-New Guinea. Al though students from the New Guinea territories were eligible to enter the Fiji school, this will be the first time in which any New Guinea natives have been sent to Suva. It is feared, in some quarters, that the New Guinea student’s educational background will not be suffi cient for them to take full advantage of the Central Medical School courses. But Dr. J. Gunther. Director of Medical Ser vices in New Guinea, who recently visited Suva on behalf of the New Guinea students, has been assured by Dr. Hood less that in previous years some of the Solomon Island students were no better equipped with educational qualifications.

Mr. Allan Wood, formerly on he staff of Bulolo Gold Dredging Co, left Mel bourne on December, 27 for Borneo, where he will take up a position with the Shell Oil Coippany.