19 April 2002
“Senior Doctors Want Hospital Chaplain Funding Restored”
“Senior doctors want the recently cut government funding for chaplains working in public hospitals restored,” said Mr
Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, today.
Mr Powell was reporting the decision of the Association’s National Executive meeting yesterday to call for the
restoration of this funding.
“Public hospital chaplains play an extremely critical and invaluable role helping patients close to death or seriously
distressed, as well as grieving families and friends. The non-denominational compassionate work of chaplains is greatly
valued by senior doctors.”
“We want the government to reconsider this decision and restore the funding to the chaplaincy service or provide
ring-fenced replacement funding directly to public hospitals for this purpose,” concluded Mr Powell.
Ends