Doctors object to salary idea

Press, 4 October 1985, Page 4

Doctors object to salary idea

PA Auckland General practitioners would oppose any plan by the Government to put them on salaries, says the General Practitioners Society. The Government discussed putting some on salaries to reduce fees, but the society’s chairman, Mr Roger Ridley-Smith, said doctors would not accept being “stuck on the same salary year after year.” Doctors could show their opposition by refusing to cover after-hours for salaried general practitioners. Some patients would pay any price to remain with their doctor, he said, and this would also work against the scheme. Dr Sandy Simpson, aide to the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, said the Minister discussed the option during the campaign with general practitioners about the cost of taking a child to a doctor. Providing salaried doctors was considered as a solution to fee differences throughout New Zealand. But the Government was quite happy with the agreement reached with doctors and had no plans to spread the salaried general practitioners scheme into urban areas from a few isolated rural areas.