Medical benefits increased

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33665, 15 October 1974, Page 1

Medical benefits increased

Increases in some medical benefits were announced by the Prime Minister (Mr Rowling) last evening when he opened the Labour Party campaign for the Sydenham by-election.

The private hospital daily patient benefit for geriatric patients would be increased from $5.50 to $8 a day for “appropriately designated” patients, he said. General medical service benefits would be increased from December 1. From that date, Mr Rowling said, the special group, which included children under 10 and social security bene-

ficiaries, would be entitled to a benefit of $3 when a service was performed at a doctor's surgery, and $4 when the doctor attended the patient’s home. For attendance at night, week-ends and public holidays, the benefit would be $6 at the surgery, and §7 at home.

It was also proposed to extend the special group to include the chronically sick and children for whom the family benefit was payable, Mr Rowling said. For ordinary patients, the benefits at nights and weekends would be $3 at the surgery and $4 at home. The Medical Association had given an assurance that the benefit increases would be passed on to patients. The Government had undertaken to negotiate with the medical profession for an increase in the general medical benefit, he said, and it had become clear that the greatest burden of charges fell on the social security beneficiaries, the chronically sick, and dependent children. The Government had also been concerned about the of geriatric patients in private hospitals, he said, ,because extra income had not been enough to allow them to meet the rising costs of their care in such hospitals.

The geriatric benefits would be backdated to July 1, Mr Rowling said, and would go a long way to ensuring that the elderly who needed hospital care but who could not get it in public hospitals would not be at a disadvantage.