THE B.M.A. COMBINE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 155, 30 June 1916, Page 2

THE B.M.A. COMBINE.

FURTHER EMPHATIC PROTESTS I MINISTER HITS FROM SHOULDER.. ■',•'■'" " " ' '__ J „ ~ ' SffiQISLATION POSSIBLE THIS " ''"-"session. (By Telegraph.—Parliamentary Reportet.) WELLINGTON, Thursday. 6 .More emphatic criticism, on the professional attitude of the British Medical | •Association to all'outside practitioners D was voiced in the House this afternoon. ; " Several members denounced the B.MA. j ;;antitrade and practices as a disgrace to - any profession styling itself honourable, c - ; and urged the Government to adopt similar drastic steps to those taken by the t "New South Wales Government to deal y ...iV.ftb. this' medical tyranny. c Mr. Harris remarked that there were <] doctors in Auckland held in high esteem t both as citizens and in a professional o 1 sense, who- could not, under any cir- t cmnstanccsy obtain any professional as- 0 '••sistahce. from B.M.A. .men, or become „ . associated in any professional way with |> ... a.doctor belonging to the B.M.A. He | joined in urging the Government to in- c troduee legislation this session to put a ( ' stop to this disgraceful state of affairs t which was operating in New Zealand to- c „.day. „ o ■ : .-,V MARRING A GOOD RECORD. £ The Hon. G. W. Russell, in replying to v members, pointed out that the B.M.A. had done immense service to the Empire j the cause of medical science, j and the branch in New Zealand had done n excellent work up to the present time. .j. The Minister made special mention of research work in connection with cancer, and stated that various branches of the B.MA. had agreed to co-operate with j. the Public Health Department in start- y ing research for this disease. He re- " gretted. however, that n new element had been introduced under which, in- V stead of confining itself to medical sci- y ence- and. research, there had been a t; , general tendency to conduct the B.M.A. s j ' "oh TiheTwhich we're not only trade union g of a drastic character, hut which were n such that if the same lines were adopted a by labour unions it would lead to gen- y • eral resentment throughout the country. n " "The" matter became very acute years ago [, in Auckland, as the result of a dispute a between the B.M.A. and friendly socio- j which paid for their medical ser- • vices at a rate per member per year, d ...Auckland friendly societies riot being !t able to agree with the B.MA, oyer the y question.of this.rate. encouraged a num- .. ~beT ..of medical practitioners to come s j I'ltrßm abroad. These new practitioners n ~<ffi a -'ified, and complied in .n----1. evenv_way with the requirement of the C( J law. but members of the B.M.A Tefused a to meet them in consultation. The posi- ' tionTiad spread to some extent in other r i parts of New Zealand, and had now be- jj come acute in Wellington. He himself si ... endeavoured to bring friendly societies t, and the B.M.A. together, and he sue_cecded so far as to get friendly societies n to agree to raise the annual medical fees t . from. 15/ to £1 per member, to pay mile- n ..age .for distances over two miles from a w . 3.9,5tpr'5.. re.sid.ence, and pay extra night h ..rates. This rise represented 33 per' cent. a Yet, though it was war time, the BJMA. v '.refused tc accept less than 21/. In c Dnnedin £1 was paid, in Christchuroh l§/>., ap.d in Auckland he believed the n . price paid was 16/. He thought, there- s< fore, that the Wellington branch made a V ' great mistake in not accepting the offer, si The position now was that friendly soeie- g ties in Wellington were employing doc- n tors individually until certain medical n men they were imnorting from Great n arrived. B.MA. men in Well- el t ifigtbn had now decided that they would ti not. consult .with any member of the p ''medical, profession, no matter what his ti ""qualifications, unless he is a member of n the B:M.A. -He doubted if the people of t _■> New -Zealand were prepared to let mcdi- t< "| pal men act in this high-handed way. n .;,.Cerfainl|y he, as Minister of Public .Health, was not prepared to allow them It ;-' l :to so act if he conld prevent it. (Hear, t .£«s?-.). . . , .. S -' "NO TOWER TJNJDER PRESENT LAW. fi ~'-.„,?? doctor was justified m refusing to t consult with a medical brother of stand- j. ifg and respeptable -character for such t "At present, however, he (the ■ Minister) had no power as the law stood k "to deal.Vith'the matter. Under the j, Medical Practitioners Act of 1914 clause -22-providedthat'Tf any registered mcdi- c practitioner had, in the opinion of ".'. the Medical Board, been guilty of any n -• - grave professional impropriety or infani- v oils conduct, he might' be brought before c .'::tbe Medical .Board, and, under certain x ... 'circumstances, the Board could apply to a 'Z^ e 'Supreme Court to have him removed g -from the roll." That did not go far o ,d§S.9Sgfc, to meet the present situation. ; LEGrSLAnON NEEDED, fo .in->lf.cases"Were- -placed"before him where C of the BJIA. had refused to n -'.assifft an outside doctor, say at an opera- n he would be prepared to call upon tl .'.'one or another of the doctors in the C '"'service of thte State to go to his assistance. "That, of course, could only ap- X '" T>ly in cities," the Minister went on, "but p • J -*Tdont think it should be left to mc to U 0 take-any. such coutsd. I think a law vi —fk on M be passed by which it would be ri \—■possible for the Minister of Public if any medical man has refused tl —& censuli-'wigh a legauy'qualified regis- di tered practitioner, to call upon him in ir open Court to justify his action, and w - leave, it tiythe Court to decide what pen- n: '. alty should be inflicted." fc „-.=,.. Mr. Fletcher: Bring in legislation. fc .-C.Mr Russell: I will place before Cabinet ci "proposals on this matter. (Hear, hear.) « the House that both myself cc and :the'heads of the Public Health De- hi - ..:i>aTfcment are exceedingly keen to secure hi : to' the peo»le of this country free and pi '-'absphite right to the services of mcdi- sn 2 % m fV I will certainly ask Cabinet to m -.-introduce legislation. s l