SOCIAL SECURITY

Evening Post, Volume CXXV, Issue 148, 25 June 1938, Page 8

SOCIAL SECURITY

SCHEME OUTLINED MEDICAL PROVISIONS "Most people think of the wealth of the country in terms of bank deposits, land, or manufacturing industries, but the people are the greatest asset of the country and therefore anything which will benefit the general health of the people should be a national responsibility," said Mr. A. H. Nordmeyer, M.P., in an address on the Government's social security plan at Ashburton on Tuesday evening, reports the "Press." Mr. Nordmeyer was chairman of the special Parliamentary Committee appointed to hear evidence on the proposed scheme. Mr. Nordmeyer said that more than £2,000,000 was spent annually in the Dominion in fire insurance premiums. This showed that the people appreciated that spreading the risk in such a contingency as fire lessened the intensity of the loss. Because the individual could not budget against the cost of medical assistance, as sickness was usually unexpected, the cost and responsibility should be a national undertaking.

The speaker continued that the Government's proposal included the best points of the schemes in other countries. FREE MEDICAL SERVICE AND MEDICINE. Under the proposed free medical service the individual would be able to choose his doctor quarterly, but doctors would be given the right of refusing a patient. Members of the medical profession would receive remuneration adequate ■ to recompense them for their long and expensive training. That the working life of the average doctor was short would be taken into consideration. Another service proposed, said Mr. Nordmeyer, was free medicine, utilising the present chemists. The patients could nominate their own chemists, the amount set aside in the scheme being 7s a year for each head of population. The speaker also dealt with the free maternity proposal, saying that the Government proposed to give each mother £10 and the doctor £5 for each child from the social security fund. In addition, there were several ancillary services, including anaesthetic, laboratory, radiology, specialist, and consultant. "The logical way to improve the dental health is to build on the dental services of our schools," said Mr. Nordmeyer, who briefly referred to this, the optical service, and the proposal to institute a home nursing service. Mr. Nordmeyer said that the number of persons entering hospitals would be reduced immensely if there were adequately trained domestic and home nursing staffs. There was need for an intensive campaign in teaching that woud cerate a healthy-minded community and that would give people a better understanding of the need to care for themselves. FRIENDLY SOCIETIES. "Stupid statements have been made that the Government is going to close up friendly societies and steal their money," said Mr. Nordmeyer. He continued that no Government could afford to alienate the societies by interfering with their funds.

Some people thought that every retired civil servant received £500 a lyear, but that was not so. An analysis showed that of 2331 retired railwaymen on superannuation 1635, or 70 per cent, were receiving less than £4 ,a week, and 43 per, cent. (1010) were drawing less than £2 18s. Their allowance would be made up to £4 a week. Figures given by life insurance companies about the cost of providing for old age indicated that to derive a benefit of 30s a week at the age of 60, a man, if 28 years old, would have to pay 4s 2d weekly; if 30, the weekly payment would be 7s 2d, and if 40 it would be 13s 3d. The speaker produced a chart showing that the total cost of the whole scheme would be £17,850,000. The contributions of Is in the £ would pay not quite half the total cost. The amounts for some of the other benefits would be as follows:—Sustenance, £1,500,000; health and medical services, £3,000,000; sick benefits, £1,000,000; and disability pay, £500,000.