Medical Practitioners' Fees.

New Zealand Tablet, Volume XXX, Issue 32, 7 August 1902, Page 18

Medical Practitioners' Fees.

In the House on July 15. the member for Masterton raised a question of vital interest to Bottlers remote from towns. He asked whether the Government proposed to introduce legislation for regulating the fees and charges of medioal praotitioners so that country residents requiring medical aid might be protected. In support of his contention that the matter was one requiring serious attention, Mr Hogg stated that in his own district a large number of deaths ooourred through the reluctanoe of those requiring aid to ran the risk of the heavy charges occasionally imposed by medical men. And he certainly scored a point when he pointed out that the settlers were often compelled by the conditions of their tenure to reside on the land before a track or a road had been made to it. That being so, it was only reasonable that medioal men should exaot a considerable fee for visits. He therefore contended that there ought to be a mileage rate and a maximum fee. He further pointed out that the Government provided medioal attendance for inmates of gaols and lunatic asylums, and for the animals of set tiers provided veterinary surgeons, while their wives and families were unable to procure medical attendance without incurring the risk of rninons charges. That there was something in Mr Hogg' contention was evident from the Acting-Premier's reply. Sir J. G Ward stated that the Medioal Association were approaching the Government with the view of having an assessor appointed in order to tax accounts, and to insure the profession against what might be termed the undesirable members of it levying excessive charges on the people. The method mentioned by the i Acting - Premier seems the most reasonable solution of the difficulty, whioh, however, only touches the fringe of the large question, whether it is not the duty of the State to provide medical attendance and mcdi oine for all who need them and are unable to pay, charging the coßt to the consolidated revenue. There is, of course, the objection that such a provision would effectually destroy the last shred of selfreliance in the public, and would open the door to a system of frivolous calls upon a medioal man, who might ride miles on a winter night to find his alleged patient recovered by the judiciou administration of a peppermint lozenge. And we must not forget that many country medical men live a life of hardship and exposure with a miserably poor reward. The whole subject is beset with more than the usual difficulties which surround questions affecting the obligation of the State to the individual, but it may be partially settled by the method suggested recently in Dunedin, that medical bureaux should be established to give advice gratis to al who require it.