HOSPITALS FOR ALL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 958, 29 April 1930, Page 9

HOSPITALS FOR ALL

GENERAL LEVY PAYS FOR NEW SCHEME NATIONAL MEDICO PLAN LONDON, Monday. The scheme by which the British Medical Association proposes to coordinate the medical services of Great Britain would provide ail except the institutional services by meant of a national contributory Insurance plan. This would include, on a compulsory basis, not only all persons Insured as at present defined, but all dependants of those persons, all voluntarily insured persons and their dependants and other persons of small means at present outside the insurqd system, as well as patients formerly treated under the poor law. The contributions in the last-named class would come from the responsible local authority. The hospitals service would not be included under the compulsory insurance scheme, but voluntary contributory schemes for this service are suggested. It is urged that the payment of all visiting staffs of hospitals—specialists, consultants, surgeons and doctors —is essential as in future hospitals would increasingly be used not only for the sick poor, for whom they were originally intended, but by all classes. It is suggested that the effect of the payment of specialists for hospital work will be to reduce their fees for private work.