FIRST ESSENTIALS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 16, 12 October 1937, Page 9

FIRST ESSENTIALS

— Presa Assoeiation. )

N.Z. Contributory Health Insurance AUTHORITY'S OPINIONS

(By Telegraph-

WELLINGTON, Last Night. "Since we believe in insurance as a principle, see to it if you can that your influence is in favour of a scheme which is an insurance scheme in New Zealand," said Sir Henry Brackenbury, • vice-president of the Oouncil of the British Medical Assoeiation, who is visiting New Zealand at the invitation of the New Zealand branch of the assoeiation, after addressing the Insur"ance Institute of New Zealand on tho national health insurance plan in Great Britain. "If you believe insurance is a good .thing, there is no reason why any health scheme in New Zealand should not be a contributory insurance scliemo. If one can apply the thing to a country that is not very dissimilar there can be no difficulty. The whole maiter is exceedingly coxuplicated from the medical side and the actuariai side. There is no use in -rushing at it in a hurry and if you can take your part in onsuring that there are full inquiries made into all aspects before any scheme is placed before the country I think it will be a good .thing. "I know a good many inquiries have been made and are being made, but there is a great danger in a scheme being attempted which will not work smoothly. If it will not work smoothly you will get things into a chaotic state which cannot be put in order, so I ask you to see that the insurance principles are preserved." Sir Henry said he would not presume to express any opinion about how any | scheme that might be introduced in New Zealand should be modified. The i first thing- about health insurance was that the scheme should really be insurance.