DECISION OF B.M.A.

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 76, 24 October 1941, Page 6

DECISION OF B.M.A.

GENERAL PRACTITIONER SCHEME STATEMENT BY GENERAL SECRETARY Wellington, This Day. Dr. Rhind. general secretary of the ij.M.A., said that at an extraordinary i eeting of the council of the association on Wednesday it was decided that members be advised to practise as hitherto, to charge fees to patients, and furnish him with the prescribed “receipt::. certificates and other document” to enable him to claim any refund to which he was entitled from the Social Security Fund. That meant that a patient would go to his normal doctor. who would charge him the ordinary fee. That implied, said Dr. Rhind, that a contract existed between the Government and the patient, and not between the doctor and the Government. The Minister of Health had requested the Association to nominate four member, for a committee which would deal v.uth any difficulties of the Act, but the Association informed the ' Minister that :t regretted being unable to accept any position of lesponsibiiity in the administration of the Act until the civil rights of the medical profes- , sion which had been abolished by the Act were restored. Referring to friendly societies, Dr. ! Rhind said that the Association had decided that the : ocietie. be notified that the Association on the termination <1 the present contract between the lodge surgeon ana the lodge was prepared to operate a system on the lines ■of the Auckland Transport Club No. 2 1 scheme. Under that scheme a lodge member paid a subscription to the , lodge and was then entitled to go to I any doctor who then forwarded an ac—- ( • uni to the lodges which paid the fee ir. full. That receipted account could then be used by the lodge to reclaim from the Government the statutory fee. That would mean that the old system of panel lists and capitation payment would automatically terminate. —P.A.