FREE SERVICES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23302, 22 March 1939, Page 16

FREE SERVICES

DOCTOR AND HOSPITAL INTRODUCTION OF SCHEMES MUST COMMENCE TOGETHER [by telegraph —own connEsrosnEsrl XEW PLYMOUTH, Tuesday A warning that if the Government endeavoured to introduce the hospital benefit section of the Social Security Act before it arranged with medical practitioners for the commencement of the medical practitioner service, as appeared likely, chaos would be caused, was given bv the chairman of the Taranaki Hospital Board, Mr. P. '<• Stainton, at a meeting of the board to-day. Mr. Stainton said it was obvious that the hospital benefit section of the scheme could not come into opeiation on April 1. It was his opinion that it would be at least six months before benefits could operate. I here was so much preliminary work yet to be done, and neither the Minister nor his departmental officers had yet been able to disclose what rate per day per patient would be paid to hospital boards. That was a very important aspect, for it made it impossible for boards to frame accurate estimates this month for the coming 12 months. It seemed a pity that the Minister had not accepted the offer made by the Hospitals' Association in August to carry out, the preliminary work and prepare the preliminary details of the scheme. If that offer had been accepted the Government would be much nearer putting the hospital benefits into operation than it now was. Mr. Stainton said the Government Mas anxious to introduce the hospital benefit scheme irrespective of finalising the medical practitioner scheme. That would mean absolute chaos as far as hospital administration was concerned. Hospital patients at present all came through private medical practitioners. If there was a hospital benefit scheme in operation and no medical practitioner service the public, would bo entitled without exception to go direct to a hospital for free service instead of paying private doctors' fees first. Such a state of affairs would be an impossibility. Hospital boards would not be able to give the tremendous service demanded by such conditions and they would tall very low in public opinion. It was of paramount importance that the medical practitioner and hospital benefit schemes should be introduced simultaneously.