“CAMPAIGN OF CALUMNY”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25801, 23 March 1945, Page 4

“CAMPAIGN OF CALUMNY”

COMMENT BY DR McMILLAN

Objection to press comment originating in Australia on the New Zealand social security plan as it affects general practitioner practice in the Dominion was expressed by the chairman of the Otago Hospital Board (Dr D. G. McMillan), at last night’s meeting of the Otago Hospital Board. “ Doctors in Australia,” he said, “ are preparing to oppose the introduction of social security benefits in that country, and just as some New Zealand doctors in opposing the introduction of social security benefits in New Zealand shamefully maligned health insurance and the medical profession in Great Britain, so,'too, their counterparts and their political assistants in Australia have commenced a campaign of calumny against health services and the medical profession in New Zealand.

“ The newspapers, over-anxious to seize upon any weapon, home-made or foreign-made, true or false, with which to beat their political opponents, the Government, are giving great publicity to this anti-social security propaganda from across the Tasman,” Dr McMillan said. “The medical profession no doubt is well able to defend its own ethics, but when such flagrantly untruthful statements are made about our hospital system it is time that, as loyal New Zealanders, we called a halt and objected to our good name and national reputation being sullied by being turned into an Australian political football by none too scrupulous Australian factions." As members were aware, the chairman concluded, the outpatient system at Dunedin Hospital was largely on an appointment basis. To say that patients were keot waiting was an untru+h, and he could say that when the board’s new outpatients’ department was completed. it would be the equal of anything in the world.