A NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

Evening Star, Issue 21934, 22 January 1935, Page 6

A NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE

NEED IN NEW ZEALAND ADDRESS BY DR D. G. MILL AN The need for a National Health Service in New Zealand was stressed by Dr D. G. M'Millan, the selected Labour Party candidate for Dunedin West, at a well-attended public meeting in the South Dunedin Town Hall last evening. Mr P. Jones, M.P., was in the chair. “ When one considers the' wonderful possibilities, and the huge benefits which would ■ accrue to the people through the establishment of their own National Health Service, one cannot but be carried away with enthusiasm and bo amazed that our platforms are not crowded with, speakers instructing the people, 'acquainting them with what is being done in other countries, thus developing an interest and a knowledgeable public opinion without which such a service cannot operate to its best advantage,” declared Dr McMillan in opening his address. In explaining what the Labour Party meant by, a.National Health Service,_ Dr M'Milian said that they meant a nationally directed service which would have complete control of the health of the people, and whose function it would be to guarantee economic security, to abolish invalidism, to postpone death, and to make life generally happier, larger, and more useful. Though such a service . would be administered by a controlling body with technical experts and local boards, yet its policy would be laid down by Parliament to ensure that it would be national in outlook, comprehensive, disinterested,, and representative of the will. of. the people. Obviously those rendering service must be adequately remunerated, but the development of our health facilities must be no more dependent upon the vagaries of the motive than are, our educational services to-day. Our whole attitude towards health protection and health preservation must be changed. Its centre of gravity must move from the cure of disease to its prevention., (Applause.) Only'' a nationally controlled scheme could do that, for there was but little individual profit in disease prevention. In order that his audience would appreciate the significance of modern tendencies in connection with the national control of the people’s health, the speaker gave a brief outline of its historical development, and in doing so expressed his indebtedness to the writings of the International Labour Office at Geneva. He then dealt with the development of these services overseas, and said that such a service had been in operation in Germany since the eighteen eighties and one, which met some of the necds_ of some of the people, had been in existence in Great Britain since 1912. Altogether twenty-three countries had such Services, he said, and even relatively primitive countries like Japan and Chile provided their workers with medical attention and medicine. It was generally agreed that such a service, involving every aspect of our national life, was urgently needed in New Zealand to-day. In considering the toll which disease levied upon New Zealand, he said, it was somewhat difficult _to dogmatise about the incidence of sickness, because the Government very conveniently neglected to . collect or publish the statistics. A consideration of their mortality figures, however, was illuminating. They found that 31 per cent, of deaths occurred before fifty years of age, that over 100 mothers a year were lost in childbirth, that over 700 babies died every year before they reached their first birthday (last year 555 babies died before they were one month old, and the Director-General of Health told them that 435 of these deaths were due to pre-natal causes, which was another way of saying that many of them could have been prevented; that last year there were over 700 still births registered, and many of these could also have been saved by proper ante-natal care and improved living conditions, and that last year 049 people died of chest diseases other than tubercular ones, despite-the fact that in his annual report the Director-General of Health said that there was reason to believe that many of those deaths could have been prevented. In dealing with diseases in New Zealand, the speaker said that heart disease killed twice as many people as cancer, and that heart disease was responsible for an increasing proportion of total deaths. And yet it was well known that such preventible diseases as rheumatic fever, diphtheria, scarlet fever, and other infections diseases caused and predisposed to heart disease. With a National Service in operation a vigorous war would be declared upon these diseases, and physical efficiency and the expectation of life enhanced thereby. The 'chief causes of disease were;—The invasion of the body by germs-or parasites, deficiencies of (lieL 'trauma and new growths, and Ibe attrition on the-wcaring out of Hie

bodily organs. Those diseases caused by the invasion of the body by germs could be attacked by the destruction of and the prevention of the dissemination of germs and by ensuring a high ■bodily resistance so that their invasion could be easily repelled. Such defensive measures included the provision of efficient sewerage, removal of refuse, the provision of pure water, wholesome milk, an adequate and balanced diet, clean streets, fresh air, sunlight, good housing and working conditions. Much could be done to prevent or delay the wearing out of the ’ bodily organs by protecting them from invasion by germs, by providing reasonable hours of work, good nutrition, freedom from worry, and by hygienic instruction to ensure that people did not unwittingly squander their health. This problem, ho claimed, could be satisfactorily and successfully tackled only upon a national basis. To-day, doctors, social organisations, and local bodies carried on an unco-ordinated, ill-organised guerrilla warfare against disease, with a result which was ineffective and financially and physically wasteful. It was generally recognised throughout the civilised world that it was both the right and the duty of the modern State as the guardian of public health and national security to organise a universal healtli service. The speaker concluded by claiming that the Labour Party would establish such a service and bring economic security to all when it was selected to govern the country. Dr M'Millan answered several questions, ahd was then accorded a most enthusiastic vote of thanks.