Contract might be dropped

Press, 26 December 1984, Page 2

Contract might be dropped

PA Auckland The Government might drop the controversial contract covering doctors who join its new child patient subsidy scheme, said the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett.

The contract forced doctors to limit their fees to child patients to $2.50 in exchange for a $9.50 subsidy. Doctors who did not sign before August received half the increased subsidy, and after that, no subsidy at all.

But Dr Bassett said that there was a strong possibility most docotrs would not sign the contract. "Therefore, it is worth examining another way of achieving the same goal,” he said. The Government had been pledged to only two things — a $9.50 subsidy and a $2.50 maximum charge to the patient, Dr Bassett said. “For us, a contract was

never more than a matter of convenience,” he said. Dr Bassett and the Medical Association chairman, Dr Dean Williams, would meet tomorrow to discuss whether the scheme could be administered by doctors instead of the Government. Dr Williams welcomed what appeared to be a softening of attitude by Dr. Bassett to alternative Medical Association proposals.

Dr Bassett said there was nothing vital about the contract element of the proposal in his view. “I am happy to talk about their alternative proposal. They are suggesting regional disciplinary committees could do the job of seeing that the benefit is passed on to patients. “I am very happy to explore with Dr Williams on Thursday how that might work — whether it is a realistic alternative,” Dr Bassett said.