Doctors’ fees

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32677, 5 August 1971, Page 12

Doctors’ fees

Sir, —An elderly friend has to have injections every two weeks. Before the medical centre opened, the doctor gave her the injections himself at a reduced rate. Now she does not see the doctor, but is given the injection by the nurse and charged 50c each time, and is mostly out of the building in five minutes. Others having 15 minutes of the doctor’s time are also charged 50c. I think there should be a reduction in fees for these elderly patients who have to live on the age benefit.—Yours, etc., HELP THE AGED.

July 28, 1971. [Dr B. Heyward, press liaison officer for the Canterbury division of the Medical Association, replies: “Certain social security beneficiaries do now in fact receive an increased benefit from the Social Security Fund by way of an increased benefit claimed on their behalf by their doctor. The Medical Association would like to see this extended to other members of the community and have approached the Minister ofHealth in an endeavour to do so. Doctors are now working together in medical centres in order to practise more efficiently and one way this is carried out is by employing a trained nurse to give injections, do dressings, etc. In this way patients' waiting time can be reduced and those needing only a minor service dealt with more expeditiously.”]