FREE MEDICAL HELP FOR

Evening Post, Volume CXVIII, Issue 54, 1 September 1934, Page 8

FREE MEDICAL HELP FOR

THE POOR

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—l.was much interested to read in your issue of Friday last the-new. Hospital scheme under which the Hospital Board will now pay fees of doctors to enable people in straitened circumstances to obtain medical attention in the Wellington Hospital area and I have not the slightest doubt with the now system this, will prove to be- a great boon in many eases where sickness is';prevalent.'and,the breadwinner of the- house, through the depression, has been earning little. lam surprised, however, to notice that this, service is not available to members of friendly societies. Does this mean a' hardship on members of'friendly societies, who through stress of ; times have become unfinancial so far as their doctor is concerned, but who are still members of friendly societies. Surely this cannot be intended. In many cases members V'become unfinancial through really no fault of their own but from a financial Condition that we have all had to face for the past four yeai's. ■ ;■■.-'■ . ' :.' ; I have been away from business for the past five months suffering with nerve trouble and have been attended to by several members of the British Medical Association, one of wjiom last week gave mo a card1 to the-'hospital recommending mo for certain treatment to be obtained from up-to-date apparatus which the.institution was possessed of. ~ After filling in. the usual forms, .I'-'gafr on a seat with CO or 70..others: waiting' for treatment, and: a'ftor waiting for about one and a half hours my turn came to go toseo the doctor.'.On the back of my card was . endorsed: "Too financial to receive hospital assistance." On seeing the doctor I was politely but firmly told he could not consider my case on account of $his endorsement. Not satisfied with this, I went up and saw the secretary of the hospital and explained the position to him, also pointing out that as I was a jatepayer in the fity of "Wellington and had for the past 12 or 14 yaftrs paid rates and ta^es out of which the, institution profits by' I could not understand why-the treatment should be refused. I might say that I informed him that I was prepared to pay whatever was a reas6nablo thing to get the benefit of their treatment, but was informed, that somo eighteen months ago a resolution to the effect that only people in iudigent circumstances could, get tho benefit of the hospital. lam writing this in case there should bo many others similarly placed who have been treated in the same manner.

I eonsiclcr'tliat'tfte hospital, wMch is a public institution kept up lyy, each

and everybody, should pay according to his circumstances, but to be refused their treatment that each and every one of us contributes towards the cost of! keeping the institution going, in my opinion, -requires the consideration of the Hospital Board. I have been a member of friendly societies for over '>o ycar.s, and J therefore trust that the instance I now point out shall be altered so that tlic equipment in the Public Hospital 'is available to all.— 1 am, eU\, EDWARD S. MOSS. [The letter was referred to Mr. I 1 Cfihlle, chairman of the Wcllingtoi Hospital Board, who said whci (he condition excluding friendly so cicty members was made it "was, o course, understood that they would be entitled to medical service under tuei own scheme. If, however, a man wa on relief work and was still a mumbe of a friendly society the question a to whether ho should bo granted frci medical service would have to depem upon further inquiry into his. incouu limit; in fact, the whole sehcfiic wa: intended to apply only, in cases o emergency sickness. It was not in tended that medical practitioners' ser vices should bo available for mino sickness or for treatment that could h obtained at tho hospital, and a goo< deal would depend upon the discrctioi used by people in calling in the docto as to whether the" system would . b satisfactory. In case 3of doubt th individual circumstances of .the appli cant would have to be inquired .intc In the case- of Mr. Moss, he appearei to be somewhat above the income limi of people to whom the service was in tended to apply. Tho fact ' that . person had,been' a ratepayer for som years did not in' itself entitle him t any .privileges at the hospital or in th outdoor scheme.]