FREE MEDICINE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23955, 3 May 1941, Page 10

FREE MEDICINE

DEFECTS IN SCHEME NO PROPRIETARY DRUGS LIMITED USEFULNESS What he considered to bo serious .deficiencies in the pharmaceutical benefits under tho Social Security Act, which will become operative on Monday, were pointed out yesterday by a prominent Auckland chemist, who declared himself to be not at all unfavourable to tho scheme. "The benefit will bo of real value to tho patient with a transient illness who only needs a bottle of medicine costing half a crown or so," said the chemist, "but it will he of no help to those for whom certain kinds of remedies are prescribed by their doctors. Important Remedies Excluded "The schedule of drugs which may be supplied is confined to those classified as 'official' in the British Pharmacopoeia. Tho whole range of gland substances, which play a very important part in modern clinical medicine, is excluded, with the solo exception of thyroid extracts. The only vitamin preparations included aro halibut liver oil and extract of wheat-germ. "More than this, no proprietary preparations may bo supplied, although it is safe to say that at least 50 per cent of doctors' prescriptions contain them. A very largo number of valuable medicinal substances can only bo obtained in these preparations, for many of which there is no substitute. One notable example is a substance which is now regarded as essential in the treatment of pneumonia, and many more could be mentioned. Hard Cases Not Helped "It is in regard to those proprietary preparations, long courses of which are often prescribed by doctors, that the burden of cost falls heaviest upon many patients, for such remedies tend to be expensive. There is no doubt whatever that large sections of the public will be grievously disappointed to find that the Social Security Fund gives them no help whatever in a matter where their need is greatest." Schedule rates of payment to contracting chemists for drugs supplied were satisfactory, the informant continued. but there was no certainty that they would be so when the initial 12 months' contract came up for renewal. Chemists would be involved in a largo amount of work over claims for payment, which had to be supported by the actual prescription in each case, or a copy of it. Ho understood that a Government costing bureau was to bo set up in each of the four centres to deal with claims. Quantity Limitations A prescription might call for the supplying of the same medicine on not more than three occasions, and then a fresh prescription would be required This was satisfactory from the patient's point of view if he was a member of a lodge or if his doctor had contracted under the medical benefit scheme, but otherwise ho would probably have to pay a consultation foe in order to obtain further free medicine. Where a prescription called for only one lot of medicine, the chemist was not permitted to provide more than ten days' supply. This quantity would often be very difficult to determine if the prescription was not specific on the point. If the costing bureau considered that the quantity supplied was excessive, the chemist would have to bear a. loss which he might find it impossible to recover from the patient. However, such difficulties would possibly disappear when the scheme had been working for some time. COUNTRY DIFFICULTIES ADJUSTMENT AWAI TED (0.C.) WHANGAREI, Friday Although pharmaceutical benefits under tho social security scheme become operative from Monday, it was stated by a Whangarei chemist to-day that no Northland chemist would make a decision regarding the scheme for at least a fortnight. He said this applied generally to all places outside the main centres. In the country districts difficulties were met with by chemists which do not apply to the cities, these difficulties were explained to the Government after a conference of chemists in Wellington a short time ago. The difficulties included extra Ireight on drugs and supplies from the main centres and after-hours prescript ions, as no all-night pharmacies are operated outside the main centres. It was expected that a reply to the representations made for country chemists would be received within a fortnight.