Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1950. Unstable Security

Greymouth Evening Star, 3 October 1950, Page 4

Greymouth Evening Star. TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 1950. Unstable Security

|T is a safe bet that many thousands of pounds’ worth of “free” medicines are poured down the drain in New Zealand each year. The average householder, regarding the various medicaments (halfused and never-to-be-used) left in the bathroom cupboard, does not need to be told of the scandalous waste in this country, and he will not be surprised to learn that' the bill for social security pharmaceutical benefits was £250,000 more last year than the year before, and that, in addition, the expense of conducting hospitals, already huge by any standard, is daily mounting. It would be futile to attempt to apportion the blame for this state of affairs as between the medical profession and the community. Neither would it serve much purpose now merely to blame the last Government for failing to heed the warnings of responsible authorities that the position which has now come to pass was an inevitable development of the scheme as introduced. The system is primarily to blame; it lends itself to abuse. A joint committee, which was set up in 1948, recommended certain disciplinary and administrative measures, and these were embodied in legislation last year. As a result, some economies are likely, but they are not of such a nature as to strike at the root of the problem. The committee was restricted by Labour-Socialist policy that medical services should be “free.” Ajs a result it could not recommend that the patient should pay part of his fee direct to the doctor, but it did recommend, in line with

the British Socialist Government’s decision, that he pay part of the cost of medicines prescribed. This salutary practice was recommended with the aim of giving the patient a direct responsibility in the proper use of medicines. It was not, however, adopted by the former Government, and the waste continues. • Although the medical and pharmaceutical section has been given closest attention in recent times, there is need for careful study and control of the social security scheme as a whole. Because a large section of the people have been led to take for granted that their economic welfare is assured, it is but right and proper that the scheme should be established on the soundest possible basis and that they be fully informed on its inherent weaknesses. It is a hard, perhaps unpalatable fact that if social security is not rationalised it will collapse under its own weight, for it seeks to provide the people with insurance beyond the economic capacity of the country to bear. It is right and proper that certain sections of the scheme should be retained and maintained in their entirety, but there are problems in connection with other sections that are becoming steadily more numerous and complex. They should be tackled now, or as soon as possible. It is doubtful whether the present system can be maintained for any length of time under conditions of prosperity, let alone a period of price recession.