Ethics breach alleged

Press, 9 June 1978, Page 4

Ethics breach alleged

PA Wellington Some doctors were breaching their code of ethics and referring patients to chiroI praetors for treatment, a , commission of inquiry was ’ told yesterday. i The chairman of the . Commission of Inquiry into . Chiropractic (Mr B. D. Inglis, t Q.C.) said he would like an assurance that those doctors ; would not face disciplinary ; measures if they appeared to ■ give evidence. The commission had re- • ceived information from : chiropractors’ patients who ; said they had been referred by a doctor. There were quite a number of these and the com- ■ mission considered it to be I quite important evidence, Mr i Inglis said. It wanted to follow up some of the aspects mentioned. Counsel for the New Zealand Medical Association (Mr D. A. Webb) said the association had not discussed the possibility of taking disciplinary measures against doctors who had made referrals, but he would put-the matter to it. Counsel for the Chiropractors' Association (Mr R. J. Craddock) said: “Chiropractors feel that unless there is a clear assurance from the N.Z.M.A., they would have difficulty in telling the commission who the doctors are.” The commission yesterday heard the first formal submissions of the inquiry—from the Consumer Council, which made a study of chiropractic in 1975. The council was deeply ' concerned that chiropractors ; might be working in health- ; care areas where their treatment could not help, said the ; council’s director (Mr R. J. i Smithies). “The council believes ; chiropractors, as a body, ■ should be required to define clearly the limits of their profession and the disorders to which they confine their attention,” Mr Smithies said. Until limits to chiropractic treatment were clearly defined, officially accepted, and rigidly observed, chiropractic and chiropractors should not be officially recognised, and there should be no payment of medical benefits for chiropractic treat- , ment. Mr Smithies said. New Zealand had only nominal control over the con-

tent and standard of training of chiropractors, most trained in the United States, at the Palmer College in lowa.

“We are not convinced that its graduates could possess the competence they claim, particularly in diagnostic skills,” Mr Smithies said. However, the council did believe that chiropractors had a genuine skill in spinal manipulation which gave good results in certain types of spinal inquiry. “In spite of our reservations we feel, in all justice, that chiropractice is not a danger to the public and it is free of the more gross elements of quackery,” Mr Smithies said.

On Wednesday, Mr Inglis

I said that more than 10,000 completed forms had been received from patients. * Extra staff had been take* on to help cope with compiling and analysing rhfe forms, printed by the Chiropractors’ association “in the interest of public health,” “The last thing we, want to do is to discourage information of value,” Mr Inglis said. “But I express disappointment that the commission was not given sufficient warning for this happening. “I understand patients wrote direct and I appreciate the trouble people have gone to,” he said. “But It is going to be impossible to acknowledge individual contributions.”