Dr. Cruikshank Now Area
pp. 84-85 · Read in the full issue
Officer For WHO
DR. J. M. CRUIKSHANK, formerly Inspector-General of the South Pacific Health Service and Director of Medical Services, Fiji, has been appointed Area Repre sentative of the World Health Organisation for the South Pacific by the WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific, which has its headquarters in Manila. WHO is an instrumentality of UN.
In addition to Australia and New Zealand, the “South Pacific area” of WHO includes Papua and New Guinea, Netherlands New Guinea and the Australian, French, New Zealand, United Kingdom and the United States Island territories in the South and West Pacific.
WHO area offices are being established in strategic centres of the Western Pacific region, to facil itate the work of WHO. The Area Representative for the South Pacific now has his headquarters in Syd ney.
Dr. Cruickshank, upon his arrival in Sydney in July, made the fol lowing statement, describing the new office of WHO in the South Pacific Area.
“The main objective of WHO is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. If
requested by Governments, WHO is prepared to render assistance in various ways to achieve this objective.
“Several Islands administrations in the South Pacific area are already conducting campaigns to control disease, in which WHO is assisting by providing technical advice, specialist officers and demon tration teams.
“Assistance from a United Nations international agency such as WHO is usually for a prescribed period, during which time it is essential to train local personnel to continue
the Government-expanded heae programmes after internatior assistance is withdrawn. To rm this need, WHO also provides fell© ships to enable local staff to acqu special training. The University colleges and technical institutes?
Australia and New Zealand logical centres to provide speciae training for the South Pacific ai.
“With the increasing number’; health programmes being plam by Governments in this area u which WHO assistance is invoh it is considered that these devel ments, and the associated train
lities required, can be served mtageously by having a WHO esentative for the South Pacific , stationed in Sydney.” le Health Section of the South fic Commission’s Research acil has been engaged, for e six or seven years, on in igations of health conditions in 14 South Pacific Territories rolled by Britain, France, Aus a, New Zealand, United States Holland, and numerous recom dations have gone forward to six Governments for imple tation. is understood that the new nisation the WHO Area, :ted by Dr. Cruikshank —will : in close liaison with the SPC ;arch Council.