PL—3l.

(v) The only other circumstances in which fees are payable by the patient in respect of services in relation to maternity are where the patient for private reasons does not wish to avail herself of benefits and notifies the doctor to that effect. (vi) Medical services covered by the scale of fees includes attendance in relation to a miscarriage, provided the patient had received approved ante-natal advice prior to the occurrence : (vii) The scale of fees also includes services rendered in the capacity of a consultant or an anaesthetist acting with a practitioner affording services in relation to maternity benefits : The precise scope of the services are set out in a departmental booklet issued for public information. Not all medical services in relation to maternity are included — e.g., the operation known as Csesarean section is expressly excluded : (vii) In addition to fees for services, the scale of fees provides for payment of mileage fees in respect of visits in certain circumstances. Supplementary Maternity Benefits. By regulations of the 19th July, 1939, maternity benefits are made available in cases where a woman has for special medical reasons to be confined in a licensed medical and surgical hospital. Supplementary maternity benefits have also been made available by regulations of 16th May, 1940, in cases where a woman who has made arrangements for admission to a contracting private hospital or for attendance in the home by a contracting obstetric nurse, but owing to emergency is prevented from availing herself of the services arranged for, and receives alternative services of an approved character.. Maternity Benefits •paid. Up to the 31st March, 1940, maternity-benefits payments were made in respect of 7,642 patients of Hospital Board hospitals, 1,825 patients of St. Helens Hospitals, 13,185 patients in licensed maternity hospitals, and 1,854- patients attended in private homes by obstetric nurses, a total of 24,506 relating to a period of approximately ten months. Up to the same date payments had been made to medical practitioners in respect of 10,308 patients. The greater proportion of these payments are in respect of attendance afforded since Ist October, when the present arrangements for medical services commenced. Hospital Benefits. Free maintenance and treatment in State mental hospitals has been provided since Ist April, 1939. Hospital benefits, which consist of payments from the Social Security Fund in respect of hospital treatment, were commenced on the Ist July, 1939. This class of benefits applies to hospital treatment afforded in any hospital maintained by a Hospital Board, including, in addition to general hospitals, the tuberculosis hospitals and sanatoria and infectious-disease hospitals, as well as approved hospital wards of homes for aged people. For the present, hospital benefits are payable in respect of treatment afforded to in-patients only. Payments from the Fund to Hospital Boards are made at the rate of 6s. a day for each patient, and such payments must be accepted by the Board in full satisfaction of its claim against the patient. In other words, all hospital treatment received on and after Ist July, 1939, by in-patients of Hospital Board institutions is free of charge to patients. Claims totalling £514,000 were received from Hospital Boards up to the 31st March, 1940. These claims covered the period Ist July, 1939, to 29th February, 1940, and the amount therefore represented an average of slightly more than 7,000 patients daily during that period in receipt of free treatment. For hospital treatment afforded to a patient in a licensed private hospital payment from the Fund at the same rate as for public hospital treatment is made directly to the licensee, who is required to apply the payment from the Fund in reduction of the total charge for hospital treatment. The patient is entitled to the whole benefit of any payment made from the Fund on his or her behalf, and payment may, in fact, be withheld unless the Minister is satisfied that the amount payable from the Fund will, up to the full extent of such amount, be applied in reduction of the charges that would be payable by the patient. For the period Ist July, 1939, to 29th February, 1940, a daily average of approximately 1,150 patients of private hospitals received hospital benefits. Hospital benefits are also available in respect of maintenance and treatment afforded' to any in-patient of Queen Mary Neurological Hospital, Hanmer Springs, or of the Botorua Sanatorium. The fees chargeable to patients of the two institutions have been reduced by 6s. a day, and corresponding payment is made from the Social Security Fund to the credit of the Departments controlling these institutions. Genekal. Milk-in-schools Scheme. Milk was made available to 223,694 pupils, representing 79-3 per cent, of the school population, in comparison with 67 per cent, for the previous year. Bottled pasteurized milk was available to 214,665 of these attending 1,202 schools ; malted-milk powder to 5,351 attending 1 17 schools ; and milk for cocoa-making purposes to 3,678 attending 23 schools.

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