MEDICAL SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23127, 27 August 1938, Page 17

MEDICAL SERVICES

Sir, —I feel impelled, at a time when the medical man's place in the community is called in question by the proposed social service legislation, to voice a verv real tribute to a fine body of New Zealanders, and I am convinced that the majority of thinking and feeling people will endorse my views. For years many doctors have voluntarily spent more than half their time in free service at hospitals, and have, beside this, attended patients at their surgeries and in the patients' homes | welT knowing that they would receive no remuneration, and expecting and asking for none; and this beside tho many patients, who have been in a position to pay, but are accustomed to leave their "doctor's bil]s till last, often indulging in and paying for luxuries before the unfortunate doctor is paid. Mr. Savage has brought down his free practitioner scheme, and he is proposing to place the doctor on a better financial basis than lie could possibly attain unaided by tho State. But our doctors say "No!" And we should be thankful and proud that they refuse when their reason is the fear that medical servico would deteriorate to a dole handed out automatically; that the standard of that service would be tho attainments of tho medical man with tho minimum of qualification, and that all incentive for our younger doctors to get the best degrees and to go in for that research which will fit them to give of their very best will cease. I maintain that at a very real personal sacrifice our medical men have given exemplary service in tho past, and have built up tho New Zealand health standard to 0110 unequalled the world over, and I think they should realise that many peoplo admire and applaud the action they are to-day taking in resisting the Socialist steamroller which would reduce all service to the community to the level of the least competent among us. | ,T. W. Kealy. Fernglen Road, St. Heliers Bay.