" MISLEADING."

Auckland Star, Volume LXXII, Issue 69, 22 March 1941, Page 10

" MISLEADING."

MINISTER'S FIGURES. DR. JAMIESON'S COMMENT. ( P - A ) NELSON", this duv. J'here may be 4!) doctors' who liave so far agreed to provide treatment under tihe medical benefit wlioinc, but that does not iiiean that 40 doctors have signed contract card*," said Dr. D. P. S. .TauiieN,, i. chairman of the National Health Insurance Committee of the New Zealand I»r»uuili of the 8.M.A.. to-day. I do not know just what the nuimlierj is that has signed contract cards, but it is far less than 49. This siliows how misleading the Minister's statement is. To get his total he has had to include doctors working in districts which, on aecount of isolation or some other special factor, have never been suitable for 07H'ration under the ordinary wilkiiic. In widely separated district* all over New Zealand there are numerous instances of small convntunities unalflc to obtain ami retain t»he services of a doctor. The association h«is all alon.jr pointed out the disadvantages under which these people labour, and has advo-j carted that provisiott be made for them J If tbe Minister Jiae uow il>een able, to I make speeial ]>ovision for s:mall districts then we congratulate bi.m. However, it would lie misleading both to the public aiwl the profession if it were ■thought that the special provisions for specific localities indicated a general tendency on the part of doctors to accent the present scheme."

Dr. J«,mieson also criticised the Minister's statement that "The profession has maintained wtoutlv that it would not agree to a service which provided for every person in the community." That was, he asserted, not tihe doctors" attitude. The association had always advocated tlnat the entire community should derive l>eneftt from health legislation, 'but it had insisted tihat assistance should begin, and be as complete a.s possible, in the field affecting those who were unable to provide for themselves, as, for example, in the case of isolated districts.

The Minister was holding out the claim that doctors could set their own standard as a. bait to induce doctors to s-iign up cards, because he knew that onco a doctor had signed even one card he would l>e constrained gradually to go on with a scheme wliicih lie disliked. Whatever number of doctors had already signed, this number was not in the least likelv to l>c added to.

Referring to the Minister's contention about the present s<-home of maternity IK-nefits not materially different from that originally/propounded, Dr. .Tamieson linked why was it that the original scheme failed, and the Social Security Act had to t>e amended to (icrmit the present maternity benefits plan to come into o[>eration.

SMALL PROPORTION. COMMENT BY DOCTOR. "At the outbreak of the war there were about 850 doctors in practice. About 200 have either gone overseas or have relinquished practice and are in training for war service. Out of the remaining 050 the Minister has got 49." 'Ihat was the comment made by an Auckland medical practitioner conversant with the negotiations 'between the British Medical Association and the Government, 'when he was asked to express an opinion on the statement of the Minister of Health, the Hon. A. H. Nordmever, that 49 doctors had enrolled under the medical benefit scheme. "I think it is safe to say that the Minister has got all the doctors that he is likely to get, as all those who were in favour of the Government's scheme have undoubtedly enrolled."