Doctors may sue over naming

Press, 23 February 1985, Page 9

Doctors may sue over naming

PA Hamilton Two doctors named on Thursday as joining the medical services child benefit scheme are considering legal action. A list of doctors said to have joined the Government scheme was printed on Thursday by the “Waikato Times”. The list was supplied by the Government member of Parliament for Hamilton West, Mr Trevor Mallard. Publication has drawn an angry reaction from the medical profession. Five doctors say their names were wrongly included in the list, obtained from the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, through the Health Department in Hamilton.

Drs Barry Knight and Duncan Gadsen said yesterday that they had been in touch with solicitors and

were waiting for advice on legal action. The Medical Association, which opposes the scheme, has also attacked Mr Mallard’s release of the list.

The College of General Practitioners’ Waikato faculty chairman, Dr A. T. P. Patterson, said the move was political blackmail.

“I think the Health Minister is trying to blackmail doctors, using children,” he said.

Dr Patterson said he believed the benefit should be available to all children rather than doctors having to a join a scheme to obtain it.

Mr Mallard said yesterday that no doctors had approached him about the release of names. He said Dr Bassett obtained the list from the Health Department in Hamilton, and released it for members of Parliament to use, knowing that Mr Mallard wanted to publish the names. District Opposition members have criticised Mr Mallard’s move.

The New Zealand Party’s acting health spokesman, Mr John Galvin, also attacked Mr Mallard’s release of the names, saying it was “nothing short of despicable.” In Parliament yesterday, Dr Bassett, said he preferred the names of doctors who joined the general

medical services scheme not to be published. But the public had a right to know who was in the scheme. Dr Bassett said during Question Time that he would not advise members against publishing names. Earlier, he told the House that he had asked Mr Mallard, not to publish the names of 43 Waikato doctors. “I have said my piece. The way M.P.s choose to interpret my advice is their business,” Dr Bassett said. Mr Mallard made the list available on Thursday saying patients had a right to know before they visited a doctor whether they would be charged $3 or $l4. Dr Bassett said he had not guaranteed doctors confidentiality. “How can there be confidentiality on this?” he asked. “After all, these people are dealing with the public and the public have a right to know who is in the scheme. It would defeat any purpose for any scheme if there was an absolute guarantee of confidentiality.” If doctors intended to “put self before patient,” patients should seek the names of doctors who had joined the scheme, he said. Dr Bassett said he believed that the news media was seeking a full list of doctors in the scheme under the Official Information Act.