British Insurance

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 190, 10 February 1914, Page 5

British Insurance

ACAI.NST SICKNESS. Till: DOCTOISS' I'ANKL. By (able I'r.-ss Association—Copyright London, February 8. Presiding at a doctors' dinner in honor of Dr. (.'. M. Addison, M.l'., Jlr. Lloyd Ceorgc slated that 2(1,(101] out of 22,.">0(l doctors in liritain were on the panel, 'flie fO,()(Kl, however, included duplicates serving on more than one panel. The (iovcrnment had distributed .1 1 /, millions amongst the doctors, averaging- .t2»() apiece. The eve-' rage in London was ,C3:iO, Birmingham CI.SO, .Manchester £-m. Liverpool £.'),") and Durham Xi3o.

ATTACKKD BY PIIKSIDKXT OK THE BBITISII .VIKDICAL ASSOCIATION. AK IXTERKSTIXtI DISCI'SSION. liy Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, Last Night. In the course of bis address on thfl British insurance Act, Dr. ft. A. MajDonald, President of the British Medical

Association, indicated how the medic il profession rc-cnted having this Act thrust upon'it. There could be no ob jeetion to a scheme which presented tb.> worker with the cost o. medical benetits, but many objections to a system , which it-elf provided medical benefits. Let the worker have the money, said the doctor, and let him have liberty to make a contrast with any medical man he might choose. In conclusion, Dr. Ma: Donald gave the meeting some hints as to the course to be -adopted if the profession were called upon to face on attempt to introduce filch an Act here. First of all they must be organised, and nobody was so capable of dealing with I such a question as the British Medical Association, to which every member of the. profession should belong. They must at the outset consider their plana clearly and carefully. In the Old Country the doctors had issued a report which was not carefully considered, and in the campaign this was used strongly 'against them. An essential part of the campaign was a defence fund, which must be ready before any action was taken. Dr. MnqDonnld said that from his observations of the Insurance Act it was needed even less in the Colonics than! it was in Great Britain. One of the delegates, in the course #f a question to Dr. Maeßonald, asked whether, ur.dcr the terms of the national insurance schem* the medical men in England attending friendly society patients were not better off'tunn medical men in New Zealand. Here a doetor.jvtlended a man and his wife and family, if they belonged to a l»dge, foi , il. In England, the father, mother an 1 one child would represent a return oi i\ fls. v --. __ Dr. Mac-Donald replied that in some eases the return to the medical man would be as high as 7s fov eacl> person. A delegate: "And here we attend n whole family for £l." Another delegate: "It is absurd!" A third delegate: '■Then why do it?" A further question put to the speaker was whether to some practitioners at Home the scheme had not meant an improved income. What, for instance, was the usual fee charged amongst the poor people? i Dr. MaeDonald replied that there lia.l ; been some improvement so far as the poorer classes were concerned, for the usual charge for a visil in such cases had been 2s Otl. f

Dr. Hrennan (New South Walos) asked what effect the administration of the Act had had upon the Euglfc'i friendly societies. Dr. Mac Donald replied that the friendly sotiieties had been led to beliwe. that the administration of tin Act would be practically in their hands. When it was discovered that there would be 14.000,000 people involved instead of four or five million, the scope, bad been extended and other "approved" societies had been given governing power. The result was that •'. wonder-' fully organised body "known as the Credential Insurance Society, which went from door to door throughout the Old Country doing'business, bad by fir the biggest connection among established friendly societies, which were either already bankrupt or likely to become °o very' shortlv unless the Act was amended. Another question was as to how the Act affected the people who went to r. hospital for free treatment. Dr. Mac Donald's reply was that there was an improvement in this direction, and people who previously always looked for free treatment now paid for the doctors' advice.