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SHOULD not have thought that there would be enough material in the topic, "How Can We Cut the Medicine Bill?" to keep a Question Mark panel going for half an hour. But thanks to two members challenging the assumption in the title as soon as the gong went for the first round, and to Dr. W. B. Sutch’s skilful and informed chairmanship, this made a willing and interesting discussion. The going was a bit uneven at first, with two against the solitary one who supported the idea of economy; but, with the introduction of
the question of public health schemes and preventative measures, it broadened out into a more constructive affair. The most striking feature of the session for me, however, was its revelation of how the Welfare State concept is interpreted by some New Zealanders-notably in such remarks as Mrs. Harris’s "the right of citizens in a democracy to have as much medicine as they want." Had she said "as they need," one might have agreed. But that outlook which equates "want" with "need" and the validity of defining a democracy by the extent of its distribution of free medicine were topics which the panel did not, unhappily, get around to debating. I
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New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 892, 7 September 1956, Page 19
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206Placebo Flow New Zealand Listener, Volume 35, Issue 892, 7 September 1956, Page 19
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