UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 132, 21 June 1937, Page 7

UNIVERSAL HEALTH INSURANCE

—Press Assoeiation.)

No Decision by B.M.A. on Proposal PANELS NOT FAVOURED

(By Telegraph

WELLINGTON, Last Night; Prospects of the medical profession expressing its opinion on the Government 's health proposals vanished into the indefmite future at a meeting of the Britfish Medical Assoeiation (New Zealand branch). For some time the Wellington members of the British Medical Assoeiation and some members of the Health Insurance. Committee had been arguing for a? vote of the whole professioii on the general quesfiion of health insurance. Other members, who were in the majority, were pleading the issuing_ of a questionnaire to doctors inviting them to express their opinion on sueli subjects as f ees and payment of tfhem, methods of treatment ete. In certain instances doctors were deelaring that these things might be put ixx a form which would result in a vote. Some time ago, hoyvevet, the . New Zealand branch of the B.M.A. deelared against this referendum and the matter was raised again this week after fihe ground had been fully covered before the meeting. Again there has been a postponement, which means that the vote is now not expected to be taken for at least six weeks. _ ■ In Wellington medical cireles it is believed that the profession at large wonld fight any move to nationalise ■ medie-ine, but would support the nation- j alisation of thp hospitals. The driyo 1 towards natfionalisation of t*he doctqra • appears to be directed by Dr, D. G. i McMillan, Government member for i Dunedin West, and for a time- vit wa? believed that the eountry practitioners might vote in favour of such a plan, : just as the doctors of California did ; some years ago. However, it has be- j come clear that the confidential figures j oi: proposed payments to doctors which j have been given as estimates by tho Government do not meet with the ap,proval of the eountry doctors and that, morpover, they do not approve of the [ panei system. So that if any exprea- 1 sion of opinion were made by doctors ; on the nationalising of the medical profession to-day it would be overwhelmingly in the negatiye. In additipn, it is believed that universal panel work will lower the standard of the profession and will not be in the best interests of the patieota, The general f ear of the final form of the health seheme widcfi was prevalent earlier in the year, particnlarly among specialists, who declared that the new system might result in the end of specialisation in medicine and in general practitioners doing much , work which to-day they hand on to those who have conceiitrated in particular branches of the subject, also seems to have passod. To-day the profession np lojxgex' con- i siders that the Government plan will j uecessarily be iujurious and this ap- i rears to be the reason for the delay in ; seekirig the opinion of all the doctors j 011 the register. It is felt that in a fe>v j weeks ' time the position will have been clarified far enough for an expressxon j of opinion on certain points to be pf greater value,