"FREE TO ALL."

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 79, 4 April 1938, Page 9

"FREE TO ALL."

HEALTH SERVICE.

BENEFITS OUTLINED.

MATERNITY ASSISTANCE. SICKNESS AND INVALIDITY. "The Government proposes a universal practitioner service free to all members of the community requiring medical attention," said the Prime Minister, Mr. Savage, in his statement. '-It also proposes free hospital or sanatorium treatment for all. It will provide free mental hospital care and -treatment for mentally afflicted, free medicines, free maternity treatment, including the cost of maintenance in a maternity home, and in addition a arrant will be made through some suitable agenry to cssist mothers in special circumstances to provide an outfit for the baby." These were the proposals which the Government thought could be established at the outset, Mr. Savage said, but in addition it was proposed to establish when practical the following services:—Anaesthetic. laboratory and radiology, specialist and consultant. massage and physiotherapy, transport service to and from hospital, dental benefit, optical benefit. "Besides these benefits it 5r proposed to provide home nursing *nd domestic help when the necessary staff has. been trained to make such a proposal practicable." the Prime Minister continued. "The Government will also provide for an extended health education, this being a. continuation of measures to educate the public in the promotion of health and the prevention of disease." Co-operate With Friendly Societies. "Xow, what about other benefits?" the Prime Minister went on. "It will be remembered that the Government instituted for the first time in N'ew Zealand's history in 1936 an invalidity pension of 20/ per week, plus 10/ for the wife and pluri 10/ for each child under 16, with ajnaximiim pension of £4. AVe now find it possible to increase this pension to 30/ per week. The maximum pension will rerm»in at £4; there will be an allowable income in addition to the pension of 20/ in the case of a single person and 30/ in the case of a married invalid." The institution of the invalidity pension revealed the fact that there were numbers of people in the community who could not qualify as permanent invalids but for whom some security should 'be provided. The Government's proposal -was to establish a sickness benefit, but the rates and conditions would be determined after the Parliamentary Committee had heard the evidence. "The Government proposes to cooperate with the friendly societies to utilise their services for paying this amount to their members," said Mr. Sava-ge. "In addition to sickness benefits it will he necessary to provide for those who are not sick and who are not invalids, but whom illness or injury has rendered incapable of earning a complete livelihood. It is impossible to fix any scale for such oases and the Government will determine the rates in individual cases according to particular circumstances," he continued. Tor those -who are unable to find trork eustenance benefits will be provided at present rates, except that the children's allowance, which is .it present 4/ per child, will be increased to of."

Provision for Widows. Dealing with the question of widow?, Mr. lavage said the Government had already increased the widows' pension hy 10/ a week and it was proposed to increase it still further to 2.5/. At the present time the pension was payable for children until they reached 15 years of age. It was now proposed to increase this age to 16 years and the pension might be continued in special ease* to IS years while the children remained at school. The allowable income in addition to pension would be 30/. '"But one of the disadvantages arising out of the legislation in the" past has been that the widow lost her peneion when her youngest child reached the age of 15 years." Mr. Savage said. "That anomaly will be rectified. We intend to make provision for her by providing a pension of 20/ with an allowable \ income above the peneion of 20/ whatever her age might be when the youngest child attains the age of 16 years. Every widow who is otherwise eligible and who did once receive the peneion which was discontinued because her children leached 13 years of age will be eligible to receive this peneion. "It will be realised that this doe* not cover the caees of a number of widows because of the fact that they have been childless. The position of these childless widows will be met bv the institution of a peneion of 20/ a week with 20/ allowable income, in addition, from the age of 50 years at whatever age they were widowed, provided that they had been married for 15 years, or if they were widowed after they had reached the age of 50 yea re they will receive the pension provided that the marriage had lasted for not lesg than five yeare." The widows' peneion would, of couree, cpase when the widow remarried or when she attained the age at which she would qualify for State superannuation. Payments for Orphans. The pension inetituted in 1936 for deserted wives with children would be increased in conformity with the increase in widows' pension rates. Also the wife of a mental hospital patient would receive a peneion at widows' peneion rates so long as she was otherwise eligible and her husband remained in the institution. "Under the present' legislation the children of a widow who received a widows' pension continue to receive the children's rate of peneion after the mother dies. If, however, the mother died first and the father later, there ie at present no provision for the payment of pensions to the children," said the Prime Minister. "We intend to see that all children irrespective of which parent died first, who are left orphaned under the age of 16 yeare, shall receive an adequate pension, and the amount is now being fixed at 15/. This amount will be paid to the relative* or guardians of the children who are willing to give them the same care and attention ae though they were in their own homes."