A NEW POINT OF VIEW.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1927, Page 4

A NEW POINT OF VIEW.

“There is an ever-increasine; number of cases admitted to hospital as out am! in-patients because of industrial accident or disease. These patients are under the protection of the law ns regards compensation for loss of wages during illness or loss of earning powoi thereafter, lint there is no provision for their treatment other than by their insurance doctors. The gap lias to be tilled by the hospitals at the expense of the charitable and of tbe hospital staffs. Another group of cases come into hospitals suffering from street accidents. In both groups of patients a third party is interested in, and benefits by their speedy recovery—the wealthy insurance companies. But it does not seem to have occurred to| j them, or with rare exceptions, that j they have a duty to the doctors who sic)) into the breach and tend these patients. There is ample precedent for such an arrangement, and failing one arrived at by friendly adjustment wc .should seek an amendment of the law. Shareholders, of insurance companies are profiting at the expense of the hospitals, and the private benefactions which we may hope these shareholders make do not indemnify them against the charge of exploiting charities ami ti e medical staffs of those charities for business purposes.”—Mr X. Bishop Harman, a distinguished British surgeon.