"LESS SAID THE BETTER”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 84, Issue 285, 4 December 1940, Page 6

"LESS SAID THE BETTER”

FREE MEDICAL SERVICE CAUTION URGED BY THE B.M.A. NELSON, Dec. 3. The attitude to the medical profes- ' sion of the Dominion toward the proposed introduction in January of the ; general practitioner service under the I Social Security Act- was expressed to- | day by Dr. J. P. S. Jamieson, chairi man of the National Health Insurance 1 Committee of the British Medical As- * sociation. I "The less said about the free | national general practitioner service | the better.” said Dr Jamieson. "HavI ing brought the greater part of the I Social Security Act into operation I with fl minimum of delay, the Government should not be criticised for caution in introducing this portion This is especially sc as it would ap pear that the full amount at least of the tax. collected is already beingpaid out. "Neither should the medical ( pre fession be blamed for hesitancy in committing itself to a system which overnight would profoundly alter th, \ system of practice of medicine, with- | out time for natural development and ! adjustments and in a period when the I future is so uncertain. Time Is Not Opportune. "It must be obvious to everyone that the present moment, in the midst of a conflict for the survival of the Empire, is altogether inopportune for proceeding with such a matter of domestic concern. It is more inopportune since so great a proportion of the medical profession, amounting to fully 25 per cent., is absorbed already in military service while more will be called upon. Moreover, nothing could be more inopportune for the department than to be faced with laying down and administration of a new system while engaged with the ever-increasing burden of work which war involves. "The British Medical Association agrees absolutely with what has already been said by the Prime Minister, Rt. Hon. P. Fraser, that the one thing that really fundamentally matters for New Zealand ah present—is our national war effort. For that reason members have placed their services to an unexampled extent at the disposal of the national medical committee for military service in any capacity tor which they may be suitable, having regard to public requirements. As a body and individually we have made many arrangements to liberate suitable men for military service and to maintain public service. Consideration Should be Deferred. “We have urged therefore that further consideration of the general practitioner scheme should be deferred until the conclusion of the war and demobilisation. The profession continues to exercise its long accorded privilege of working as long and as hard as ever it can without anybody minding and feels that it may rely on the good sense of the people not to embarrass the Government or to harass the profession by a demand for a kind of change which is impracticable."