Medical subsidy 'overdue for rise'

Press, 28 November 1980, Page 4

Medical subsidy 'overdue for rise '

PA Rotorua A visit to the doctor has become a luxury that many New Zealanders can no longer afford says the president of the New Zealand Medical Association, Dr B. G. Jew. ' Dr Jew attributes a .steady decline in attendances at doctors’ surgeries to the cost of medical services. He said yesterday that a $1 million drop in general medical benefit claims over the last year showed that many people hit by hard times were deciding they could do without medical treatment.

The national average cost of a doctor’s consultation now was $B, of which the Government met $1.25 by subsidy. “My view is that the cost of the service is not too great, and has to. be kept in perspective,” said Dr Jew. “However, the government

subsidy is now a very small part of the total cost and is long overdue for an increase.” The subsidy had been increased only once since it was first introduced more than 40 years ago. At that time the 75c subsidy made up more than half the cost of consultation but the $1.25 subsidy now was less than 20 per cent. Dr Jew said he had been making representations to the Minister of Health (Mr Gair) to have the subsidy

“We are critical of successive governments for failing to review this subsidy, which they all claim is an important part of the country’s social welfare programme.” Dr Jew said that while general practitioners had to make a living, they traditionally had forgone a percentage of their fees

where they felt that patients could not pay.

“Doctors in the main are fairly gentle in their approach towards prosecuting for unpaid fees,” he said. The president of the association’s Canterbury division, Dr H. B. Cook, said he felt that the number of people attending doctors had dropped in the last few years. Some people were not going to the doctor for care, or for follow-up checks when thev probably should be. However, he noted that there was a higher medical benefit for children and national superannuitants. The medical benefit must become a progressively smaller part of doctors’ fees as costs increased, unless the Government subsidy was raised.

Some children were missing medical care because their parents could not afford the fees. However, he hoped that there were not too many affected.