Parlimentary Intelligence. Whether They Were on the Doctors’ Lists Or Not
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791 Mr. T. Nicolson, of the Co-partnerhip Tenants Housing in the Regulations to justify that. Consequently the com- Council, 6, Bloomsbury-square, London, W.C., is organising mittee retained it in hand for the present. Mr. Masterman the exhibition. was interviewed by a deputation of Bethnal Green doctors, who asked if those unallotted funds in the hands of the A CENTENARIAN.-Mrs. Charlotte Webb, of Insurance Committees would be paid over to the panel doctors. He was to have even if counsel’s Bilson, Cinderford, died on Feb. 22nd. She celebrated the reported said, Yes, should once more unfavourable, the doctors 103rd of her on Feb. 17th. opinion prove anniversary birthday are to get the money." The deputation, it was said, had THE annual dinner of the British Oto- gone away pleased. He submitted that it was of public to know which of the insured were will take on the of utility being charged Laryngological Society place evening without benefit. It was of to know how March at the Trocadero getting public utility Wednesday next, 18th, Restaurant, £300,000 or £400,000 which was contributed by these insured Charles J. Heath Piccadilly-circus, W., at 7.30 o’clock. Mr. people was to be used. The doctors might be entitled to it. will be in the chair. He did not know whether they were or not. If they were not, there were many good objects for which it could be used ST. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL : THE HUNTERIAN -medical referees, nursing, and various other benefits which SOCIETY.-The annual dinner of the St. George’s Hospital could be given to insured persons. Hunterian Society will be held to-day, Friday, March 13th, Mr. GLYN-JONES, speaking as chairman of the Middlesex at the Waldorf Hotel at 7 for 7.30 P.M. The chair will be Insurance Committee, said that the movement in residence taken by Mr. W. Fedde Fedden, F.R.C.S., and Mr. A. William of large numbers of insured persons stood in the way of a return how had selected West will be the guest of the St. George’s Club on the compiling showing many actually Hospital a medical man on the panel. He believed that he was right occasion of his retirement from the post of treasurer to the in saying that in the county of Middlesex the Insurance The dinner will be followed a hospital. by smoking concert, Committee had not assigned more than 20 insured persons presided over by Dr. Charles Slater, president of the club. to doctors. This was what had happened. The whole of the It is hoped that many of St. George’s men who have not doctors, numbering something like 550, were collectively already intimated their intention of being present will at responsible to treat the whole of the insured population of once communicate with the honorary secretaries of the Middlesex, and his committee had deliberately avoided Hunterian Society, St. George’s Hospital. assigning healthy insured persons to a doctor, because they had the assurance, which he was bound to say had been QUEEN VICTORIA JUBILEE CONVALESCENT HOME, carried out, that the doctors collectively were responsible and DURDHAM DOWNS.-The annual meeting of the friends of would provide treatment for the whole of the insured popula- tion of the county. had had under a score of cases Bristol’s Convalescent Home was held on Feb. They 26th, where persons had been ill and had neglected-it was their under the presidency of the Lord Mayor. The medical own fault-to select a doctor. That had led to an hour or report stated that during 1913 the patients admitted two of difficulty, but a doctor had been communicated with numbered 1983 ; 922 of these were female and 1061 male. and these people had been assigned with the doctor’s consent From the Royal Infirmary came 660 patients, from the General to a doctor in the vicinity. If it was a fact that every Hospital 655, the Eye Hospital 24, the Dispensary 59, and insured person in the county who had been ill had had a what nonsense it was to that because certain the Clifton 16. Free were 398 and doctor, say Dispensary patients were not on a doctor’s list had not had the 171. The number of cases people they paying patients daily average medical benefit for which they paid. It might as well be was the The financial 78, average stay being 14 days. said that people on a doctor’s list who had been fortunate statement showed the income was £2943 and the expenditure enough not to need his services had not had medical benefit. .E2925. He supposed that what had happened in Middlesex was _______________ happening throughout the whole country, and indeed under the new Regulations it was now the normal course with the doctors on the panel to become collectively responsible to treat every insured person, so that it really did not matter Parlimentary Intelligence. whether they were on the doctors’ lists or not. They were guaranteed medical benefit throughout the course of the year. NOTES ON CURRENT TOPICS. As to the question of the unallotted money, so far as Middlesex was concerned this difficulty did not arise. There The the Insurance Act. Administration of never was any balance or residue. The committee there THE topic of the debate which arose on the Vote on Account had made a contract with the medical men that the capita- on Thursday, March 5th, was the administration of the tion fee was to be paid on the basis of the average life of the National Insurance Act. For the most part the discussion whole population, and it would have been a gross breach of related to the controversial subject of the solvency or in- faith if the committee had attempted to take away the money solvency of Approved Societies. There were, however, for the healthy lives who did not need a doctor. references to medical matters in the debate, and to these the Mr. GODFREY LocKER-LAMPSON dealt at length with the following report is entirely confined. payments to panel chemists for the most part in the Mr. WORTHINGTON EvANS, in moving as an amendment Manchester district. So far as he could see there would the reduction of the Vote by £100, criticised the action of the be an average loss of about £100 a head to the Man- Government in declining to have a return prepared so as to chester chemists for the year 1913. The Government had no show how many insured persons had not selected a medical right to tempt these chemists on to the panel and then with- man on the panel. It was impossible until this information was hold from them the money which was due to them. There furnished to say whether all the insured people did in was also a very serious shortage in the funds under the practice get proper medical attention, and, if not, how many Insurance Act available to provide accommodation for did not get it, and what could be done to improve the tuberculous insured persons. This was apparent in Stirling. administration. Honorary Members knew that the London In the last minutes of the Glasgow Insurance Committee it Insurance Committee had published the fact that something was stated that 27 persons were awaiting admission to like 400,000 insured persons had not selected a doctor. He sanatoriums and no less than 208 applications for sanatorium believed that that was something like 25 per cent. of the benefit were awaiting consideration by the committee. In whole. Of course, if 25 per cent. of all insured people the report of the West Ham Committee it was stated that out in the country had not selected a doctor it would be of 95 tuberculous insured persons receiving domiciliary a very large figure, but the conditions of London were treatment at the end of 1913 no less than 37 were sleeping in peculiar, and consequently the percentage in London was the same rooms as other persons merely for want of proper likely to be very much higher than the percentage accommodation. He did submit that things like that consti- throughout the country. He did not believe, however, tuted a scandal. that it was any exaggeration to say, taking the figures Mr. LLOYD GEORGE, in the course of his speech, said that throughout the country, that there was something between the allowance made for drugs was 2s. per person. In the old 5 and 10 per cent. at least of insured people who had not Friendly Society days 4s. per member covered drugs and selected a doctor. That meant that there were something everything. Now there was a system by which the doctors like 1,000,000 people who had not selected a doctor, although got 7s. and 2s. were given for drugs. That fact had to be kept they were charged by a deduction from their wages for the in mind. The Government had never undertaken to give a payment of a doctor. In other words, they were getting no blank cheque to the doctors to issue as many prescriptions medical benefit whatever. The sum of money which resulted for as expensive drugs as they liked or to bankrupt the drug from people not selecting a doctor was now in the hands of fund. The Government regarded the payment as perfectly the Insurance Committees. In London there was a large adequate. If 6d. was considered satisfactory by the Friendly sum. Counsel’s opinion had been taken with a view to Societies, surely 2s.