HEALTH SERVICES

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 February 1939, Page 2

HEALTH SERVICES

POSTPONEMENT NECESSA RY

[PER PBESS ASSOCIATION.] WELLINGTON. February 3. “it will not be possible tor the necessary arrangements to be made to inaugurate the medical and al<u‘< benefits under the Social Security Scheme, on April 1,” said the Minister for Health (Hon. I’. Fraser> in an interview this evening. The Social Security Act. passed in the last, session of I’a.riiament provides for the administration of these benefits hy the Minister for Health. Mr Fraser said that, in view ol the negotiations that had to Laki 1 place with the medical and other piol.ess4ons as well as with the friendly societies, the inauguration of the scheme on April 1 was a physical impossibility. However, there hud been and would be no unnecessary delay, and the Government proposed to have the full scheme in operation on Ihe earliest, possible date. This fact about the health section of the scheme was foreseen when the Social Security Act was passed, and provision was made for the medical benefits to be inaugurated later than April 1 it that were unavoidable.

This did not, of course, affect the monetary benefits, such as superannuation and all forms of pensions, which would come into force on April 1.