Medical Care For Fijians
Sir,—Dr K.. North, after a month in Fiji, tells us that when a Fijian needs surgery for cardiac and other serious ailments, he is not accepted into New Zealand, for medical care in our public hospitals, but has to go to Australia. Could I ask the Health Department why unmarried mothers from Australia can come here and have all the social security benefits for their confinements? Surely the really ill Fijian should be helped by our Government and the Australian Government bear the expenses of its unmarried mothers.—Yours, etc, . , CONFUSED. October 1, 1969. [The Minister of Health (Mr McKay) replies: “Unmarried mothers from Australia are not entitled to free hospital treatment or social security maternity benefits in New Zealand. Hospital boards charge appropriate fees when this non-entitlement is established. The difficulty, however, is that most of these girls come here determined to maintain anonymity sothat their ineligibility is not readily recognised. The Government is at present looking into the possibility of providing specialist medical treatment for those cases recommended by the Fijian Admin-
isirauon as oeing oeyonu their medical resources.”]
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32117, 13 October 1969, Page 12
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184Medical Care For Fijians Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32117, 13 October 1969, Page 12
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