DOCTORS’ FEES

Evening Star, Issue 17792, 14 October 1921, Page 6

DOCTORS’ FEES

CHEMISTS’ CHARGES. NOT HIGHER IN DUNEDIN THAN ELSEWHERE. A letter signed “T.F.,” published below, contains statements which were Tinjiiirocl into to-day by a, representative of this journal. " The report of Mia Board of Health, and the doctors’ commends on same with regard to maternity mortality are very interesting, and call for serious study by tho community. The attempts to trace the causes arc also interesting, hut, to my mind—and I believe I express the thougids of many others —there is one that has been either intentionally or accidently overlooked, and that is the absurdly high cost of medical attention in this country. I make hold to say that the medical profession and its necessary adherents, the chemists, have quite an exaggerated idea of the value of the services they render to the public, and to very many they must be numbered as among the most enterprising profiteers. It is no exaggeration to say that one of the greatest fears of most households is that of falling into ill-health, and so into tho hands of tho doctors. 1 shall not go into details, nor do I need to do so, but I am quite sure that the “ doctor’s bill ” is a heartburning question with many, and much serious trouble is caused because people will try all kinds of mistaken remedies and suffer much and risk dangerous delays before calling in the extremely expensive medical advice availaide here. Chemists also charge absurd prices, and I could give particulars rather astonishing and far from complimentary to them as a class. It is time, I think, that some kind of control should ho exorcised, or that the public should protect, themselves. I leel sure that if some of the younger doctors joined together to charge more reasonable fees, and leagued theinr elves with chemists who would I oil aw suit,, and if medical attention could be so brought within reach of the ordinary person, the gratitude of the. public would follow, and much painful suffering he avoided and perhaps fewer cases of mortality.”

THE REPLIES. Talcing first the subject of doctors’ charges, one professional man replied : “ I am quite sure that the. fees hero are not higher in Dunedin than elsewhere hi Now Zealand. There is a. swale propounded by the branch of _ the British Medical Association, but if- is not rigid, being merely in the nature of a recommendation.’’ Another doctor raid :“ It possible that the visiting fees in Christchurch ere somewhat lower than in Dunedin, for t-no reason that the country is all flat and egsily got over. A doctor can mors quickly' and conveniently run round Sydenham and .Sumner and Papanni than ho can do a round which includes such ascents ns wo have to Ivaikorai ami Halfway Rush. I should not bo curprisc-d to learn that for tho reason mentioned the f-res are lighter in Christchurch than in ;my other city in Now Zealand. I am, however, peiTrelly sure that for ojimation.s under nnrestbetics tho charges in Auckland and Wellington are much higher than in Dunedin.” A third medical man said: “T have every reason to believe that the foes are relatively low in Dunedin. They could not very well lie less than tho half guinea, which"is the ordinary feo for a short consultation. I understand, that before the war tho fees were somewhat higher in Dunedin than in tho other centres, but that is not so now. I believe they are lower.” A fourth reply ran thus: I here is ro excuse for uninslructcd- women tinkering with themselves or with one .-mother in maternity rases, because the Si. Helens Hospitals take in such cares at oOs per wrek. whilst at the Forth Street Hospital, which is rim by tho Hcepital Hoard, women cun, if it is necessary, ho treated Free. The, recognised fees charged Inductors were raised' somewhat a while ?"o in accordance with the stancra.rd,of hying: hut they arc not unduly high, and, in my eyp-rknee, not higher in Dunedin than in other places. If a person requiring general medical attention is 1m poor to employ a. doctor, the Hospital P>oard _is under statutory instructions to provide treatment free.' to cither indoor or outdoor patients. What usually happens in such, a case is that the doctor does his work gratis. Another tiling is that the Si. Helens Hospitals employ run-sea to go out for £1 for ten days. Freni all the Icnowk-dge at my command T have reason to feel sure that poor people are well provided for in Dunedin in respect to medical matter?. In that connection I stress the fact that the Midwives Act is administered by tho Health Department. That is a groat safeguard, -and it would be perfected if all tho practising midwives tvero trained. There are 2b,000 midwives in Xcw Zealand, and only about 1.000 of them (rained. It is well that the public should know that Dr M'Kihbin and his staff keep in touch with this matter, and try to improve conditions as much ns possible where improvement is called for.

As to chemists’ cl targes, one of the principal men cays; “I know for a fact, (hat tho prices up north »ro higher than (hose in Dunedin. Tito evidence is that mures who have gone from here regularly send to Dunedin for supplied, because they can ho got bore cheaper. I have several such customers, and no doubt other chemists have the same experience. I can also assure you that in the maternity homes tho matrons take core to buy for their patients as economically as they can, not ordering more than is actually required." Another chemist says: “As far as Dunedin is concerned, the public have no cause to worry in regard to tho charges made by local chemists. There are, of course, exceptions; but the remedy lies with tho purchaser* in refusing to take what may appear too high in price, and transferring his custom elsewhere. It is noteworthy that, while tbe Profiteering Commission was in existence, no casco were brought against Dunedin chemists. Several complaints were made, but these were proved to bo without any forfndation. My own personal experience, which includes the principal towns of Australia, shows mo that the scale of dispensing prices charged by our firm is lower than that now existent in Sydney, which, with Labor Government, Labor Council, and Profiteering Court, ought to be a working man’s paradise and the home of low jriiccs.’’