NATIONAL HEALTH SCHEME

Waipawa Mail, Volume LXVII, Issue 68, 22 February 1939, Page 3

NATIONAL HEALTH SCHEME

AMERICAN SURGEON’S CRITICISM. CHRISTCHURCH, Last night. An American surgeon. Dr. Edward H. Oohsner, of Chicago, who after investigating national heatlh schemes in Europe, particularly in Germany, wrote a book entitled “Social Insurance and Health Security,” said on his arrival in Christchurch to-day: “I am very much against national health schemes, and have stated my objections in my book. I spent two years in Europe, principally in Germany, investigating health schemes and I based my conclusions on actual statistics. “First of all, the most serious objection is the increase in malingering. A national health scheme increases the days of illness. I have actual proof of this from Germany based on figures. A national health scheme increases the cost of medical care, but it does not decrease the mortality or the morbidity (the number of days of sickness. It also interferes wtih the confidential personal relations between a physician and his patient. ‘ ‘ The effect of such schemes is that people run to physicians with trivial complaints to such an extent that the physician is so worn out with trivialities that he could not give the serious attention to really sick people that he ought to give. These are the main reasons for my objection to the schemes—-they do not decrease mortality or morbidity and they increase the cost.” Dr. Achsner was asked if his conclusions had been disputed, and he said “No, they are based on actual statistics.” He was also asked if he had any comments to make on medical nraetir-e or hospital facilities in New Zealand. He said, “No, I have been in New Zealand only four days, but I attended the medical conference to-day and found it very' interesting and instructive.”