MATERNITY BENEFITS

Greymouth Evening Star, 4 November 1939, Page 5

MATERNITY BENEFITS

agreement with doctors.

CONTRACTS NOT NECESSARY

[PER PRESS ASSOCIATION’.]

WELLINGTON, November 3. The Acting-Minister for Health (Mr. Armstrong) announced to-night that an agreement had been concluded with the council of the New Zealand branch

of the British Medical Association on the scale of fees payable from the Social Security Fund for piedical services afforded in relation to the maternity benefits, and that the scale came into force on. October 1. These determinations mean that the new scheme for medical services for maternity as embodied in the Social Security Amendment Act passed at the end of September is now being brought .into operation. The most important feature of the scheme is that it does not necessitate the making of contracts between the Minister and individual doctors. The scheme provides that every doctor undertaking maternity work in the course of his practice will be entitled to receive payment from the fund in respect of his services, according to a scale of fees fixed. Such fees from the fund are to be accepted by the practitioner in full satisfaction of his claims in respect of relative services, except that a practitioner who is officially recognised as an obstetrical specialist will be permitted to charge the patient an additional

As the scheme has been made retrospective to the beginning of October,

it will be understood that in any case where the practitioner is in the near future recognised officially as an obstetric specialist his right to charge additional fees to the patient will operate from the beginning of the scheme.

Any practitioner who is unwilling

,o provide services in accordance with .he scheme may by giving notice to

that effect to the Minister place himself outside the operation of the scheme. In that even,t his services will not be the subject of any pay-

ments from the fund, and will be wholly chargeable to his patient. If any practitioner does give notice in the near future of his unwillingness to provide services under the scheme such notice will be operative from the date of the commencement of the scheme.

The only other circumstances in which medical services for maternity will not be the subject, of benefits are in cases where the patient for private reasons notifies the, practitioner that she does not wish to receive medical treatment by way of the maternity benefits and in cases where the patient is not entitled to such benefits because she is not ordinarily resident in the Dominion. Other features of the scheme are that it provides for medical services in relation to miscarriage* provided the patient has received the approved ante-natal advice before the occurrence, and also for anaesthetist and consultant services in relation to matternity, though these services are not specifically mentioned in the act. The scale of fees which has just been fixed contains definitions of the scope and content of the services that are the Subject of maternity benefits, and steps are being taken to issue a leaflet for the information of patients, explaining wliat services are so included and what are the responsibility of the patient. For instance, the supply of drugs, medicines, materials, and appliances to patients is not covered by the benefit and until pharmaceutical benefits are introduced the patient is expected to pay for these. Definite rules have been laid down in the scale of fees for the ■ circumstances in which mileage fees are payable, and for the basis on which they are to be computed. Effective operation of the new scheme will complete the full range of maternity benefits contemplated in the principal act.