MEDICAL PRACTITIONER SCHEME

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23299, 8 April 1941, Page 12

MEDICAL PRACTITIONER SCHEME

•StaU was informed last night; that I , had- made a mistake when, I stated that itute.'were about Sfaetitioners ,to attend, the 180,000 people in Greater Christchurch mid me-three surrounding; counties. The Correct^number 'is 32—one doctor to V 8000 patients, . . i lf x-were Minister for Health I , should recognise that the position was ■ extremely dangerous and I should be the most worried man in New Zealand. I not be going round attacking ■V the doctors, but I should be going i* roUnd meeting every medicalasaoclatienVfrom ’Auckland to Bluff in it an -endeavour to find the best possible . way to meet any. emergency- I think peoipleought to understand that about thr&yesn ago the, British Medical Asv loeiaiton offnred" * medical service lor aR wiffirincomea of £250 and under. „ According to the Official Year Book 13 ' par cent pay.income .tax on; £2lO and . 8 >p«t.eeni an-ihcomes up to £3OO. so I '■tfcatiwesußtfWy.. only 8 per ,cent.-10 SSranTAS have, had peace, imwhich to find out vast number of patients could tarthe limited num-

ume of work- that even a mild epidemic would produce. By joining the Government scheme most general practitioners could double their incomes at the possible cost of sacrificing the lives of a few of their patients —too big a price for the extra income. —Yours, etc., L.8.8.

P.g.—Surely It Is obvious that with the present reduced numbers of doctors no wholesale State service can be introduced. Any alteration must take place very gradually and the first patients should be the most necessitous. This would mean a great deal of organising, which could not possibly be done by the overworked Christchurch doctors.—L.B.B.