MEDICAL BENEFITS

Chronicle (Levin), 15 August 1949, Page 5

MEDICAL BENEFITS

Ptess Assoeiation)

BJLA. Reply To Visitor's Criticisra

(Per

WELLINGTON, August '14. Cammenting on the statement by Dr. E. W- Maples wlio criticised tlie New Zealand medical benefits scheme in a recent cabled message froni Landqi), tlie actipg ohaii'man of the coupcil yf tlie New Zealand brancp of the B.M-A,, Mr. E_. H. M. Luke, said Dr. Mqples, a& was ahvays the case wliere an invesfigation Was confined to- a few \veek$, was led astfay by sonte qf tJpyAtobR criticisius qf the medical prqlpssiQp which were ahvays paraded tc oveyseas. .visitors by those who accept statements at their race value witliont troubling to verify them. ■ Dr, Maples, who, by the way,* said Mr, Luke,.gginej his aeademie distinction in law . giiA not medicine, made ,a conscientiouf assessmenf of conditions iu New7 Zealand which he plaeed against the afreaflv knowledgeable backgrQund which he gaiiiod as chairman of the CouptiQs' Assoeiation in the Unifed Kingdcuh, He--was assisted extensivelv ii\ his stiidv by the New Zealand branch of the British hledical Assoeiation. ' - 1 • His remarks about yottuger dqctor?, said Mr. Luke, were inaccurate and against the wqight of evidence. Of a profession numbering about 1700 in all, more than 150 were at this moment in the TJnited Kingdom imdergoing postgpaduate training for higher degrees. It would be difficult to point to any other profession or ealling in New Zealand or even elsewhere, in which about ten per cent of active members w.eye oontinuously abroad at their cwii .expense. ' ; "New Zealand has alwavs been justly proud of the large numbei1 of medical men who gain higher degrees," said Mr, Luke. "The numbtU' today is as great as ever and showing signs oi: increasing ratlier than diminishing. ' ' Public confidehce in this issue need not be misplaeed. Y"oung doctors are not cntering pi'actice at £300Q a year before they are quaUfiod to do so. .The British Medical Assoeiation makes the most of introductions • wluch result in young men entering practice, and it hau. be stated without fear of coutradictiou • that 90 per cent remain in hospital fcr one year and 50 per cent for a further year, thus exliausting the vacanices. This perceutage compares more than favourablv with tliat of Dr. Maples' own country. 4 ' Recently an official toured the main hospitals asking house surgeons who receive £300 and £400 a year to accept 3-q yernment emplojmient at £1200 and 11400. The young men refused unanimlusly and continued with their training posts in the hospitals. "Dr. Maples was equally niisled on he subjcct of medical ineomes. It ms been stated ihat 30 per cent cf ioetors .in practice draw £3000 a year from the social security fund. • ThiS is, jf course, the gross figure from whieh 11200 niust be deducted for expensos, eaving £1800 for an oceupatiqn which :as no restriction of hours, great responsiiiility, a lieavy capital inyestiuent and no superannuation, 110 paid hoiilays or sick luave and a very late start. ' ' The statistics which gave rise to ihe above statement also sliowed tliat 10 per cent of medical praetitiqnovs Irew less than £1000 per annuni from the fund. Many of these are newly started young men. ' ' The ethical standards of the. medical profession have always been closely guarded, " said Mr. Luke, "and it i3 only during recent years that it has ueen tliought t-hat a srnall minority may have paid less regard to the rule which has* always plaeed the interests of the patient and standard of medicine above all other considerations. A move h.as come from within the medical profession itself, to create a body sipiilar to that possessed by the law profession and a draft Bill is in the hands of the Goyernment. Dr. Maples' eomments under this heading are out of proportion to the true position and retiect only the oplnions of an ill-inforiuo«l group. * "There are manv factors which can be idontiiled as contributing to the high cost of,the pharmaceutieal scheme, such as costly new and effective drugs, general rises ip costs of production abroad, siuos tax and extensiops of tbe free list. Hospital Doctors "Dr. Maples is 011 tirmer ground in his eomments 011 inadequate sqlaries of medical men and indeed all senior officials in the hospital system, Government Departments and services. Some years ago the Btabilisation Commission froze all those salaries 'and steadfastly refused all requests for sa rovision no mattor what anomalies were brought to liglit. The refusals to act committee to the Minister qf Health was to meet. When this eommitteo finally did sit after niuch delay, its rtcominendations were largely ignored by tlie Govermuent which brought down a scale wluch reduced sqine salaries and raised only a few. Tliis undouiitedly made for much cqirfiision in the hospitals and in the Departmouts concerned and it can only be' liqped that tlie rocommendations of tlie committe which is about to sit again', wil! enable the anomalies to be rectified without delay. The New Zealand Hospital Boards' Assoeiation and British Medical Assoeiation have been iji close teueh to give the maximuin possible assistance in* devising a just and satisfactory scale. \ Capitation System ' ' It' is impossible to agree with Dr. Maples," said Mr. Luke, "that the capitation system is the solqtioii to the ills lie found. It is satisfyiqg lieither to the patient nor the (Joctor iq the United Kingdom and it has faiied in New Zealand wliere 80,000 patieuts who originally joinqd tho scheme^ jiave dwifidJea to fowor thftjj §0,000 fttfS tfeo 40 odd dqctorfc td fewer thh# ftalf that gumber.