DOCTORS' FEES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22231, 4 October 1935, Page 15

DOCTORS' FEES

Sir, —The very fact that people were in need of medical aid and were unable to procure it is no justification for a high minimum fee, rather it is a point in favour of a national health insurance scheme, where similar cases would be able to avail themselves without the worry of the cost of a consultation. It is ridiculous to say there is_ no fixed minimum; it may not be a written law, but it is a fully accepted fact. . I am ~ not contending that the service rendered is not worth the fee, as the service varies so vastly, not yet can health be measured in terms of hard cash. The point is this: Can the average working man with a family afford 10s r . 6d every time it is necessary to consnlt a doctor? The answer I think is surely f „ in the negative. That being the case, he has two alternatives, to consult the doctor knowing full well he cannot meet his fee, or stay away until he is virtually forced to go, by which time it is probably both a lengthy and expensive cilre, which if caught in time may have been a very simple matter. Aii honest man. would choose the latter way, hoping that the complaint might cure itself or be endured. Yesterday a large rock fell on my back, since when I have been in bed. I know I should see a doctor, but I am a married man with two children, 17s 6d rent to pay, and 10s is a quarter of my weekly earnings. Five shillings I could manage, but 10s 6d? No. I hope I shall not need a doctor. -k* White.