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Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 41 No. 1. February 27 1978

Student Health

Student Health

The prescribing of pills, tablets, capsules, lotions, creams, injections and suppositories and the application of bandages, splints, dressings is not the main function of the Student Health Service — although we do quite a bit of it.

Meeting your needs is the primary objective of the service. This is in contrast, a bit, with the suburban medical services you're probably familiar with at home.

You are invited to contact the service if you would like to discuss any aspect of your health or that of a member of your family of friend. Common discussion points are:
  • the need for prophylactic vaccinations (tetanus)
  • your diet
  • your physical fitness — or lack of it - contraceptive advice
  • the medication given you before you left home.
  • your skin condition
  • your anxieties about this place
  • your weight
  • your vision to name a few.

A call at the Health Service does not carry with it an obligation to accept a bucketfull of medicine.

During this academic year, there will be two doctors and two nurses in attendance. The doctors are Dr. Ian Fleming and Dr. Margaret Sparrow.

Vivienne and Mairi are the two nurses. All four hold clinics throughout the week and two doctors are available for emergency service at night, in the weekends and over the holiday breaks. We have black bags to carry to your bedside if you're really very poorly — but we expect you to make an effort to get along to the clinics if at all possible.

In addition, we have a consultant psychiatrist — Dr. Ian McDougall who visits the Health Service on Monday mornings and all day Wednesday. You have to be referred to him by one of the doctors or the Counselling Service.

The Health Service has close links with Wellington Hospital and the medical and surgical consultants in town.

To attend the doctors we ask you to make an appointment by phoning 721-000, ext. 802, or call in at the office located at 4 Wai-te-ata Road. (A path leads down from the harbour side of the building where the library is — the Rankine Brown Building)

Normally with a full staff we offer medical examinations to all first year students, but this is not the case this year. We would like first year students who:
  • have a chronic illness (asthma, diabetes, colitis, heart disease, etc.)
  • are disabled in any way
  • require maintenance treatment
  • have a major health problem
to request a full check-up. This will enable us to make an early contact with those in one or other of the above categories, and give us an opportunity to assess the problem and ensure appropriate management.

The same confidentiality holds between student, doctor or nurse as in any professional situation. If you require information to be given to a tutor, a lecturer or the university administration, we insist that this be in writing and only on your specific request.

Please note:

We do not expect a blind acceptance of any diagnoses, advice or treatment. We invite you to demand explanation. The encounter will be on a one to one basis — certainly not, one part student and three parts professional. We don't work that way. You should expect a high standard of service — we have the facilities and the staff to offer you this.

Final Note:

Students who are living at home with their parents in the Wellington area are expected to continue with their family doctors. The only exceptions are — in case of an emergency — and if your family practitioner is unable to see you over the examination periods.