HIGH MEDICAL FEES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LV, Issue 17033, 14 December 1918, Page 8

HIGH MEDICAL FEES.

CHARGES DURING EPIDEMIC [ l?l| EG TWO DEFINITE CASES NAMED. ■.-;.;.-'. j Complaints regarding excessive charges H by some doctors for their services during « the epidemic were discussed at yesterday'* "4 meeting of the Citizens' Committee. 1 " Something should be done by this com-'ll ;| raittce with regard to certain doctors' '' j | bills," said Mr. A. J. Entrican. " That ;V i excessive charge which has been made in i : | some instances for medical attention is « ?. fe matter which should be referred to th» .:■'' 1 Government." '..la? f Mr. Entrican mentioned a cas<!— of •, i a poor man— the doctor concerned I had sent in an account for £14 7s 6d for ; services rendered during the period from I October 28 to December 7. The , patient§m I lived quite close to the doctor's own re«.; | dence. Poor people simply could not ./ I afford to pay such bills a3 these. Strong j action would have to be taken with re- : gard to such cases of excessive (harming,ll t and a recommendation should l>e made I to the Finance Committee that these bills . 1 bo passed on to the Government Stch »■£, j course might lead to drastic action beingY:taken. - . # ; -fH I A resolution to this effect was passed:"" I \ by the committee, with a further rccom- | \ , mendation, put forward by Mr. T. Blood-; j I worth, that the matter should be referred [- 'to the British Medical Association a 150."'..':,-; i A specific instance of over-charging was M \ mentioned by another speaker, who said;': I ' that four cases of influenza had occurred sj ■ i in a certain suburb, but the doctor -to:■";•",. whom application had Been made had re- ; I fused to visit them unless £12 12s were v.;.-' [1 guaranteed.. In order to obtain immediate hi attention, the local chemist bad guaran- j i teed this amount. While the doctor was jj[| attending the cases he was requested to :•':;' [ visit another urgent case, not more than I 1 a moment's run from the others. The A ' I doctor had demanded the full charge .of. | I £4 4s for this case also. %--0 , % Other.speakers said it.should not la 9 laid down that all doctor had over.;,. j I charged, but only a few, whose narnei I certainly should be made public, in justice '" j m to the others. . The opinion was also ex« j 1 pressed that many of the heavy charges J 1 had. been made from a sense of plrofes- ;; 1 sional etiquette. Some of the doctors did | 1 not expect to receive the full amount they; "4 IS bad charged. The Mayor said undoubtedly J9 there. were a "few black sheep", in'thtj-; profession, but experience had snovn;tliat§, 9 the doctors as a body had worked spina- 1 \ I . didly during the epidemic, and ihad don*';; m, their utmost in the cause of humanity.. . IB