“DOMINION’S FREE MEDICINE SCHEME BEING EXPLOITED”

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22664, 15 June 1948, Page 6

“DOMINION’S FREE MEDICINE SCHEME BEING EXPLOITED”

(P.A.) AUCKLAND. June 14. “The question for New Zealand _to answer is: 'Are the most constructive attributes of man being sacrificed to the unfortunate trend towards paternalism and the present popular philosophy of universal social security.

This statement was made in an interview today by Dr. W. E.„ Neal, of Huntingdon, West Virginia, who has been in New Zealand for a fortnight investigating medical services. “The attempt to provide a free medical service to those demanding it is being realised even to the extent of ex ploitation,’’ he proceeded. “Patients receive too much medicine because they demand it A doctor often prescribes excessively because it is profitable to do so, hence the State pays for the services and expensive drugs which many patients would be better on without.

“However, these criticisms are secom dary compared with the time-honoured established by the founders of healing, established by the founders of healing. The practice of medicine was never in tended to conform to the assembly 1 In social .movements New Zealand had set the pace,” Dr. Neal addea. ' If the human element could be eliminated and the programme applied to relieve only those who really deserve help, it would be ideal but the drain and penalties suffered by your producers taxed to the limit to support a movement ot such magnitude tend to destroy human incentive, ultimately reflecting itself in decreased production and a declining national economy.”