PARLIAMENT Assurances Sought On Levy On Prescriptions

Press, Volume C, Issue 29674, 18 November 1961, Page 12

PARLIAMENT Assurances Sought On Levy On Prescriptions

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, November 17. Opposition members in the House of Representatives today demanded an assurance on whether the public would be levied for individual medical prescriptions. Mr N. E. Kirk (Opposition, Lyttelton) said any recommendation on these lines from the committee inquiring into the pharmaceutical benefits scheme would repudiate National Party election promises.

The Minister of Health (Mr Shelton) told the House he did not propose to discuss the matter. He said it would be quite wrong for him to anticipate the committee’s findings. Mr Shelton said the committee had four terms of reference. These were: (1) To review the scheme since its adoption in 1941, with special regard to costs. (2) To examine methods proposed or adopted overseas to control costs. (3) To examine the adequacy of the scheme, and (4) To make any recom-

mendations it considered necessary. Mr A, J. Faulkner (Opposition, Roskill) said there had been numerous suggestions of a possible charge for prescriptions. Mr Kirk suggested that more economic prescribing by doctors would be a more sensible approach. “All this criticism of the drug bill is being aimed at the free medicine scheme. Yet no patient ever got medicine without a prescription and a doctor should knew how much is needed. “Certainly, the drug bill has gone up,” said Mr Kirk. "But so has the population."