CASH BENEFITS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 20 May 1939, Page 3

CASH BENEFITS

ADVOCATED BV MEDICAL ASSOCIATION ASSISTANCE TO MATERNITY PATIENTS. LETTER TO THE MINISTER OF HEALTH. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day. "During March the association fully considered the question of medical services in connection with the maternity benefit and came to the conclusion that it would be better for both the public and the profession if these were made available by means of a cash benefit to the patient,” says the National Health Insurance Committee of the New Zealand Branch of the British Medical Association in a statement issued yesterday. "Accordingly at the meeting of the full council of the association in April a resolution to this effect was adopted,” the statement continues. “In the meantime it was learned that it was the decision of the Minister of Health to make an individual offer of contract to all practitioners. “The result of that off having been published last Saturday, the association ,cn May 15, addressed a letter to the Minister in the following terms: “I beg to forward the following resolution of the National Health Insurance Committee of the New Zealand Branch of my association which was passed at its last meeting and subsequently adopted by the full council of the branch;, — “That the committee is of the opinion that the maternity oenefits contemplated in the Act should be provided by a scheme whereby the patient is allowed to recover from the Social Security Fund such fees as are agreed upon between the Government and the profession, provided that proof of such service has been made, and further that any patient should be entitled to recover such fees in respect of her attendance by any registered medical practitioner.” “ ‘This resolution would have been communicated to you earlier, but for your expressed desire and intention to submit an offer of contract individually to all practitioners. The response to this offer has now been published, and demonstrates the unacceptable nature of the contract.

“We fear that so few practitioners and so relatively few nurses having accepted, it will be' impossible to establish a service as complete and efficient as desirable. Nor can the association hold out any prospect that these numbers will be substantially increased because of the conditions and regulations which those concerned consider undesirable, unnecessary and actually detrimental to satisfactory maternity service for the people. “Payment of the maternity benefit in cash to the patient, on the other hand, would relieve necessity, diminish administrative work, enable all the profession concerned in maternity practice to co-operate with the Government, and above all would leave the people as free as ever in an exceedingly personal and private matter. My association, therefore, in submitting this resolution, invites you to give serious thought to the recommendation it contains, and is willing to discuss with you personally matters relative to putting it into effect. We propose to publish this letter for general information.’ ”