The Sun TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1928. A PILL FOR POLITICIANS

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 325, 10 April 1928, Page 8

The Sun TUESDAY, APRIL 10, 1928. A PILL FOR POLITICIANS

OHOULD public hospitals provide special wards for the treatment of doctors’ private paying patients? This old question has been revived with a new vigour by the Dominion delegates to the first congress of the Australian and New Zealand College of Surgeons at Canberra. They have returned with a recommendation to urge the Government through its Public Health Department to reconstitute the Dominion’s hospital system upon the so-called community basis, thus combining free medical and surgical attention with a scheme of special wards for paying patients who would secure the services of their own physician or surgeon in addition to those of an efficient public hospital. It is clear from the interesting statement made to The Sun by Sir Louis Barnett, of Dunedin, a member of the delegation to Canberra, that the recommendation will be pressed upon the Government with all the impressive and persuasive ability of the medical profession. The question is bound to arouse a keen controversy in national politics, with probably as many politicians ranged against it as the number ready to give the scheme complete support. When a kite was flown about it in Parliament on a previous occasion, it was seen at once that the wind of public opinion was variable and inclined to be gusty. On ethical grounds there is really no argument against the adoption of a system which would enable patients well able to pay a high price for curative treatment to obtain the full benefits of the excellent equipment and highly-organised services that are available at the leading general hospitals. Since these institutions are maintained largely at the expense of ratepayers and taxpayers, the scale of technical and practical facilities for efficient treatment of disease and grievous injuries is necessarily higher than that within the compass of even the best-equipped private hospital. In addition to X-ray and other apparatus the general hospitals command the services of pathologists and other experts. It seems only to be right and proper that everybody should be able to engage these services at will and pay for them. The obvious answer to that argument will he that such a right exists and is withheld from no one, except it be many sufferers from tuberculosis and cancer for whom, according to authoritative testimony, there is not sufficient adequate accommodation. That response, however, does not dispose of the fact that patients in public hospitals are not in a position to secure the exclusive services of their own physician or surgeon. They must accept the treatment provided for them by the hospital. And it must not be overlooked or forgotten that medical students have to learn their art somewhere and practise its immaturity on someone. The main argument that, so far, has been raised against the provision of special wards in general hospitals for paying patients has been that doctors -would concentrate their best service on those able to pay most, and give less thorough attention to the poor. The profession should be quite able to shatter that loose argument. It could easily be demonstrated by doctors that special wards would be good for the community, but it would be no less difficult to show that the system would be a good thing for the profession. The public would have to meet a heavy expenditure on the reconstitution and reconstruction of the general hospitals. The financial side of the question will be a sour pill for the responsible politicians.