Medicine A Beverage'

Northern Advocate, 9 December 1948, Page 5

Medicine A Beverage'

In New Zealand

CANBERRA, Thu. (1 p.m.)—People should never be encouraged to think of medicine as a beverage, as in New Zealand, said Sir Earle Page (Country Party), in the House of Representatives. He added that they should be induced to think in terms of health, rather than of drinking medicine, whether free or not. Sir Earle, who is a doctor, was speaking during the second reading debate on the National Health Services Bill, implementing the national health scheme, which includes payment by the Government of half the doctors' fees. Sir Earle said that two years ago Mr Chifiey had promised a free, complete and efficient health scheme.' As a result of two years’ cogitation, the Government had produced a scheme which was incomplete, half free and technically inefficient. Mr Chifiey said that there had never been in Australia anything less defensible than the doctors' attitude to the Government’s plans. The Minister of Commerce and Agriculture • (Mr Pollard) said it was ridiculous to assert that the bill was an attempt to nationalise the medicalprofession. The Government had no constitutional power to do this.