SOCIAL SECURITY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 February 1939, Page 5

SOCIAL SECURITY

MINISTERS AND MEDICAL MEN CONFER. PRACTITIONER SCHEME DISCUSSED. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. Representatives of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association conferred yesterday with the Minister of Health, Mr Fraser, and the Minister of Social Security, Mr Nash, and officers of State departments, on the prospective operation of the medical benefits section of the Social Security Act. The conference, which was held in private, was also attended by Dr D. G. McMillan, M.P. The tentatice proposals of the Government for the management of the health services were placed before the doctors and other meetings will be held as soon as these proposals have been considered. The Health Department was represented by the Acting Director-General of Health. Dr R. A. Shore, the secretary to the department, Mr A. V. Keisenberg, and Mr C. E. Wynne; the Social Security Department by the Commissioner of Social Security, Mr J. H. Boyes, and Mr J. S. Reid; and the social security committee of the New Zealand branch of the B.M.A. by Drs. J P. S. Jamieson (president), T. D. M. Stout (Wellington), L. J. Hunter (Levin), S. L. Ludbrook (Auckland). W. P. Gordon (Stratford), and P. P. Lynch (hon secretary).

After the'conference, the Ministers, in co-operation with the doctors, said that preliminary discussions had taken place on the various aspects of the general practitioners' scheme provided for in the Social Security Act, and questions related to that part of the scheme. The discussions were of a friendly nature and were mainly for the purpose of enabling the Government representatives to place suggestions before the B.M.A. It was expected that other discussions would take place immediately after the B.M.A. committee had considered the tentative proposals put forward by the Government.