Report and evidence into the pay, status and conditions of service of medical officers of the army, with evidence concerning the Indian Service.

  • Great Britain. War Office. Committee Appointed to Inquire into the Pay, Status, and Conditions of Service of Medical Officers of the Army.
Date:
1890
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report and evidence into the pay, status and conditions of service of medical officers of the army, with evidence concerning the Indian Service. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    retired pay, and any further requirements will be met by the employment of civil practitioners as may be found necessary. Three posts for full pay Medical Officers under Vote 14 have also been transformed into appointments for retired officers. The full pay establishment for the year 1888-89 having- fallen below its strength—at this date it is 25 under the authorised number—13 of the 25 retired pay appoint- ments above-mentioned have alieady been called into existence, and the remainder will be filled up early ia the coming- financial year. The surplus over the reduced establishment, fixed by Estimates 1889-90 will be absorbed as casualties ciccur, their places being taken bj'civilinns as required. It is anticipated that by the 1st of April this surplus will be 25, for 10 of whom vacancies by superaunuat.iori alone will occur during 1889-90. Other casualties from death, sick- ness, or voluntary retirement will, of course, hasten this absorption. ( Vide Appendix No. 1, p. 111.) 8. Can you give me the numbers of each grade fixed for your establishment in these estimates?— They are stated in Vote 4, page 32 of this year's estimates. For last year, 1888-89, the full pay establishment was, exclusive of those employed in India, 643; includhig those employed in India, 978. For 1889-'.30 the totals are, exclusive of India, 615 ; and including india, 950. 9. Is there a fixed establishment of surgeons for each- grade, or is the establishment altered according to the numbers required in each year ?—With regard to the junior ranks, the grades of medical officers up to Surgeon-Major, ranking- with Lieutenant-Colonel, are regulated by length of service; after that they are regulated by a fixed establishment. Brigade Surgeons and Deputy Surgeons-lieneral and Surgeons- General are reg-ulated by a fixed establishment; the junior grades are regulated by the length of service. 10. There are 50 Jirigade Surgeons, are there not? —There are 50 ; 51 for 1889-90. 11. Will 3'ou explain to me what you mean by the surplus over the reduced establishment, fixed by estimates 1889-90, will be absorbed as casualties occur ? I thought that at the present time you were under your establishment number?—Yes, ^^•e are at the present time under our established number for this current year, which terminates on the 31st of Mai-ch ; but on the establishment taken for the j'^ear commencing on the 1st of April we shall be over our establishment by the balance of the 52 still unabsorbed, namely, about 26. I think since that memorandum was written two or three vacancies have occurred. 12. Vote 4 shows a saving of 5,400/., and Vote 19, which is the other vote which it is necessary to take into consideration, shows an increase of about 4,000/., T think, for the medical establishment. 195,000/. you are taking for this year 1889-90, as against 191,000/. in 1888-89?—Yes. 13. So that virtually the two votes balance the votes of last year; thei-e is a saving of 5,000/. on one vote and an increase of 4,000/. on the other ?—Yes. 14. Can you explain to me how it is that employ- ing, as you are doing, a number of retired officers with a small allowance in lieu of full pay there is not a larger saving on those two votes taken together ? —The difference between employing retired officers at 150/. a year and officei-s on full pay is a difference between the 150/. and the pay of a,Surgeon on entering the service because reductions are necessarily made hy stopping the supplies. A surgeon's pay is 200/. a year with allowances; so that the actual difference in money ia 50/. a year in each officer's case, with the balance of the allowance saved. 15. But at the same time the retired officer who is employed actively is removed from Vote 19 and the entire cost of his services is placed on Vote 4 ?— Yes. 16. Therefore there ought to be a corresponding- diminution on Vote 19 ?—But the increments and the decrements of Vote 19 depend upon the number of ofiBcers coming up for retirement as contrasted with the number of officers who cease to draw retired pay on death; so that if there be a large number of officers in the Senior grades of the service approach- ing the date at which they would be Superannuated, of course tlie retired pay vote will be augmented in proportion to the number of such officers placed upon it. 17. There is a foot note at the end of Vote 19 By the employment of 71 Medical officers with Salaries provided by Vote 4, this Vote is relieved of a chargo of 39,936/. I infer from that, that if this arrange- ment of yours had not been made, instead of Vote 19 being 195,000/. as il, is it would have been in round numbers 234,000/. ?—Yes, provided that the 71 officers mentioned there had been retained on the Retired Pay List. But I think perhaps the note seems to require explanation. There are actually now 83 appointments held by retired officers and Militia, but the whole of these appointments have not been creatednn this year; 54 existed in 1887 for example; so that tlie actual decrease on this Vote caused by the employment of retired officers is the retired pay drawn by 25 not by 71 for this year. 18. So that therefore the relief of 39,000/. is not a relief that occurs entirely during this year, but simply a portion of it representing the pay of those 25 officers ?—Quite so. 19. Do you see your way to any further reduc- tions in the number of medical officers ?—I am afraid I do not, if the Service is to be kept anything- like efficient. Indeed, if I might express my own opinion, I think we have g'one already a little too far in that direction. 20. Would you tell me how ?—The instructions for the guidance of the brandies which deal with the Establishments laid down by the Secretary of State are based with regard to the Medical Department on the requirements of two army corps. The require- ments, medically speaking, of two army corps have been estimated on the supposition that the whole of the appointments in the front of the advanced depots are to be held by medical officers in the Service. But with regard to all those duties in the lines of communication, and at the base of operations, and in ships going to and fro, these duties may be largely undertaken by civilians. The estimates submitted by mj'self admitted that I thought we might make half these appointments, appointments for civil medical practitioners, retaining at least half to be filled by military medical officers; but in our actual estimate, which has been approved, we have made a considerably larger proportion of the appointments in the rear of advance doiDots civil appointments. About two-thirds in round numbers, are to be held by civilians, one-third being held by military medical officers; and to that extent perhaps we have, I think, exceeded what is a safe liinir. There is one other direction in which this change is likely to operate in the future which I would like to mention to the Committee; that is, with regard to our reserve for service in the case of war. In all the other departments of the army it has been laid down' as a great object to have an efficient Keserve. In the Medical Department, by the warrant of 1879, an attempt was made to create a Military ]\Iedical Reserve by allowing medical officers, retiring- after 20 years' service, to be placed on the special list for employment in cases of emergency'. These are the officers whom we are now employing- in time of peace ; and when the time of war comes we shall not be able to fall back upon that Military Medical Reserve. 21. By the employment of retired officers do you anticipate that any discontent will arise in the Service owing to the diminution of home service which will be occasioned thereby ?—There has been undoubtedly dissatisfaction at the alteration of the period for foreign service; it has been altered from five years, in the case of India and healthy Colonies, to sixj'ears ; and in the case of unhealthy Colonies from three years to four. The result has been a considerable