Criticism of failure to stop prescription charge

Press, 1 September 1986, Page 8

Criticism of failure to stop prescription charge

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, came in for strong criticism at the Labour Party conference for his failure to abolish the $1 charge on all prescriptions. A remit deploring his refusal to consult affiliated health unions over the Ministerial review on health benefits was defeated only narrowly. Instead, in spite of Dr Barrett’s personal appeal against it, the conference overwhelmingly called on the Government to action urgently the 1985 conference resolution requiring the abolition of the $1 charge.

The private hospital system had a bad conference. It was accused of preying on the medical training and high technology processes of the public health system. Among other remits, the conference passed one that said “That the tax deductibility of private medical insurance schemes be removed and the Government investigate a system by which medical insurance companies and private medical institutions be required to pay a proportion of their turnover to help fund the training of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel.”

Other remits lost in-

eluded the call for a State-run medicare system so people could receive free consultations, and the call for the abolition of population-based funding for hospital boards in rural areas.

There was little support for the call to withdraw financial assistance for the fluoridation of water. The Government was urged to introduce a big programme to reduce smoking among children to try to find out why children and young people began smoking. There was also support for tobacco advertising being restricted to a plain statement of where such goods were sold.