PAYMENTS TO PANEL DOCTORS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24968, 15 July 1942, Page 4

PAYMENTS TO PANEL DOCTORS

Sir, —The thanks and appreciation of taxpayers are due to Mr Kidd, the public-spirited member of Parliament, who recently exposed to the public, by. his question to the Minister of Public Health (Mr Nordmeyer), the fact that some panel doctors are continuing to be paid for men who have gone away on military service and had previously been on their panel lists. These payments which Mr Kidd disclosed for public enlightenment are outside the purpose for which the moneys were voted. Thev were, and are still being, paid out of the taxation, etc., imposed on taxpayers, who include thousands of wage-earners. It is amazing and disturbing that such payments, which must now amount to some thousands of pounds, should have been allowed to go on for so long. Those doctors who have been enriched by the collection of such payments must chuckle to themselves at getting “something for nothing.” At the. same time the great mass of the people out of whose pockets the money is taken by taxation for the purpose must feel strong resentment because their rights to have such wasteful expenditure prohibited and such moneys being saved to them as ratepayers have been seemingly disregarded. It will be folly to adopt a spineless negative attitude in this question, so full of interest to the public, and neglect to take those steps that are essential to the stopping of such unjustified payments so clearly inconsistent with the primary object of the Act. Furthermore, a regulation, _if necessary, should be made compelling the refund to the State of the moneys paid to the doctors. This course, in the interest of what is fair and just to the taxpayers should be resolutely pursued in order to avoid any basis for a cynical comentary upon the typo of politics in New Zealand or any suggestion by implication or otherwise being made that there is a lack of an appropriate sense of responsibility on the part of Ministers and Government. I am, etc., No Favours.