One in 10 Chch G.P.s join benefit scheme

Press, 8 February 1985, Page 1

One in 10 Chch G.P.s join benefit scheme

About 10 per cent of Christchurch general practitioners have joined the Government’s new children’s benefit scheme. This compares with about 20 per cent throughout New Zealand. Figures given by the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, showed that 322 of the nation’s 1960 doctors had joined the scheme by Monday. Dr Bassett said yesterday the figure would be higher now. In Christchurch, 28 general practitioners had joined

the scheme by Monday, out of about 300 eligible to do so. The chairman of the Medical Association’s central general practitioner committee, Dr David Kerr, said yesterday that the association had always expected that some doctors would find the scheme acceptable. “We thought between 10 and 20 per cent would join, but would not expect many more will join. Those doctors who have not found it attractive to date will not find it attractive in future,”

said Dr Kerr. At the end of January the association’s council voted in Wellington to recommend that its members hot accept the revised scheme. In the Timaru area, 14 general practitioners had joined the scheme by Monday out of about 40. The South Canterbury branch of the Medical Association had consistently opposed the scheme before its introduction. The divisional chairman, Dr Richard Forster, said yesterday that although

some Timaru doctors had joined the scheme, a number would never do so.

The number of doctors who had signed up at February 4 in the different health districts were: Whangarei 25, Takapuna 11, Auckland 30, South Auckland 30, Hamilton 34, Rotorua 22, Gisborne 7, New Plymouth 3, Wanganui 7, Napier 2, Palmerston North 7, Hutt 25, Wellington 30, Nelson 24, Christchurch 28, Timaru 14,' Dunedin 19, and Invercargill 4.