MEDICAL SCHEME

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 137, 6 March 1941, Page 9

MEDICAL SCHEME

One Wellington Doctor Agreeable APPLICATION CARDS NOT RUSHED The District Health Office advised vesterday that so far only one Wellington doctor had entered into an agreement to provide medical benefits under the Social Security Act. Very few applications for benefit cards have been made at. the various post offices in the Wellington and suburban areas, and it has been suggested that till the public know which doctors are prepared to sign cards, it is not much use procuring them.

The Chief Post Office reported yesterday afternoon that to date 270 applications for cards had been made. Some of the suburban post offices reported receiving “several” applications, others “a few,” and at the post office of one large suburb of Wellington it was reported that only 10 application cards had been issued to date. The application cards, which were made available to the public on March 1, require the full names of the applicant, his or her address, social security contribution book number and date of birth. In addition, it is necessary for each applicant to name the doctor from whom the medical benefits are to be received and also for the applicant to give an assurance that he or she does not already hold a medical benefits card. _ Each application card also provides a form of agreement to be signed by the doctor named by the applicant. When a card lias been properly filled in, the doctor forwards it to the medical officer of health in the distinct in which the applicant resides. Upon receipt of this, the medical officer will forward to the applicant a medical benefits card, which constitutes evidence of his or her right. to medical benefits from the doctor with whom the agreement has been made. Applicants over 16 years of age must fill in a white card, whereas an application made in respect of a child under the age of 16 must be made on a salmon-coloured card. Oamaru Doctor’s Comments.

In a statement explaining why the doctors in Oamaru and Kurow were not at present accepting service in the National Health Insurance Scheme, Dr. E .S. Stubbs said: “We refuse to enter the scheme because we see clear ly that it would be to the serious and lasting detriment of our profession, and, what is more, to the serious and lasting disadvantage of the public. This does not mean that we are obstructionist to National Health Insurance as such. On the contrary, the B.M.A. was willing till the war de veloped to discuss a variety of possible schemes with a view to cordial cooperation in working any good scheme —the best that could be mutually agreed upon. “This fact is not sufficiently known. Not only did the B.M.A. outline a scheme, known as the ‘B.M.A. Scheme,’ but, when that was found unacceptable because of its provision for the economic classification of patients, it offered other ideas, including the one that I myself favour, of partial medical insurance.

“Such a scheme could be one of simplicity itself—the Government grant the doctors out of the Social Security Fund a capitation fee of so much a year a patient, and, in consideration for that grant, the doctors reduce their fees by 75 per cent., e.g., IQ/- fee to 2/6, everything else to go on as before. If such a simple scheme were not approved, there are other variations that could be considered.

“The point is that the B.M.A. did ‘ offer consideration of schemes other than the one it had originally put forward, while the Government, on the other hand, refused to discuss for one moment any plan that involved a personal payment of fees by the patient.” If anyone had adopted an obstinate, stonewall attitude it was the Government far more than the British Medical Association, he added. It was the Government which had refused to listen, refused to discuss and refused to vary its own original scheme.

NONE PREPARED TO SIGN

Hawke’s Bay Members Of B.M.A. Dominion Special Service. NAPIER, March 5. Hawke’s Bay members of the B.M.A. branch are standing firm in opposition to the medical benefits scheme and none is prepared to sign forms. However, it is understood that a recent arrival to the province is prepared to accept the scheme. Though large quantities of forms, are obtainable at Napier and .Hastings Post Offices inquiries have been very few. Of these a number have obviously been out of curiosity, for two or three crumpled forms have been found outside one post office.