OUTDOOR RELIEF

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18589, 27 December 1934, Page 14

OUTDOOR RELIEF

MEDICAL ATTENTION

WELLINGTON ARRANGEMENT

As the- result of a conference of representatives of the British Medical Association and the Wellington Hospital Board last August, a nmnoer of import ant arrangements with regard to outdooi medical service were submitted to the board and agreed to. The boam agreed to operate through its relief department an outdoor medical service on the following terms and conditions 'The board will pay all general ■ medical practitioners in the city of Wellington and throughout the bvhole district over which the board has- jurisdiction for attendance (other than obstetric or severe surgical cases) or indigent persons, 7s 6d for the first visit, and 5s for subsequent visits between the hours of 3 a.m. and 8 p.m.; and 12s 6d per visit between the hours of 8 p.m. and 8 a.m. Payment will be made subject to the following conditions (a) That application has been made to the relief officer for medical attention, and an authority has been issued by him, either directly or through the applicant, to the medical man to attend the patient; (b) that, in cases where application has not been made to the relief officer, the patient is, in the opinion of the practitioner to whom the application is made, an indigent person. In order to determine the indigence of the patient or family,, the medical man should make reasonable inquiry and should ask for and inspect the unemployment registration card, ’ where such is available. It should lie understood that this medical service is i not available to members of friendly societies.

At a meeting of the board last, night, Mr. G. Petherick, chairman of the re lief committee, said that the members of the committee were of opinion that the extended relief system would need to be carefully looked'into. At the lieginning of the financial year the board set aside £IOOO for outdoor medical attention ; already £950 had been expended on that form of relief, and thei'e were still three months of the financial year to go.

After discussion the chairman pointed out that the present system might have tendency to reduce the number of . cases; sent to the hospital for treatment. Further consideration will be given by the relief committee to the arrangementmade with the B.M.A. in regard to the matter, and the committee will furbish ft report to the Hospital Board