Omaha daily bee., 1920-01-11
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Doctors and the Government.

profession and the government are
on somewhat different footing in
this country than in Great Britain
ana yet the move of the English
doctors. to secure greater considera-
tion for their profession may have
an echo in America A recent con-
vention at London is thus reported
by the Times:
The conference convened by the
British Federation of Medical and
Allied Societies. under the presidency
OF Sir Malcolm Morris, discussed the
future of the profession, in all its
bearings. The tone Of the meeting
was distinctly conciliatory, a real
desire being shown to work in har-
mony with the authorities towards
an Improvement in the public
health.
AT the same time the medical
men made 1t clear that they will de-
mand certain fundamental rights
The chairman declared that the
present scheme Of insurance was not
the best which could be achieved
and expressed his belief that it was
not too late to appoint a committee
or royal commission to give some
thing better to the public, whose in
terests were those of the medical
profession. He read a letter from Sir
Watson Cheyne inviting the confer
ence to submit its findings to the
medical members of Parliament and
another from Captain Guest an
nouncing the prime minister's readi-
ness to. give sympathetic considera-
ton to the subject of discussion.
DIR. Stancombe declared that in
Southampton the local medical men
had already established public
medical service of their own. 1t was
success, and every effort was being
made to perfect it. Other doctors
could follow this example. Thus the
doctors themselves would be able to
go to the government and ask for
help for their own scheme. They
wanted freedom. especially freedom
of choice as betweenN doctor and pa
tient. The panel doctor felt more
and more that he was a bureaucratic
slave, and willing service could not
was not ripe for q state whole-time
medical service. Local autonomy
was essential to success
"Dr. G.. Dill supported this view,
and suggested that the profession it
self should assure the health of the
nation and submit it's own scheme to
the prime minister.
''Sir Bertrand Dawson, who is
chairman of the Medical Consulta-
tive council to the minister of
health. but who said that he spoke
in a private capacity, associated him
self with the view that the profess
sion did not want a full-time medi-
cal service. 1t wanted adequate pro-
vision for good work. The council
over which he presided was new
departure and a good departure. 1t
meant that a body representing all
aspects of the profession had now
the right to tender advice to the au-
thorities. The ministry was anxious
to meet the profession and work in
harmony with it. Indeed, his council
had been asked to devote itself to
an inquiry into the best possible type
of medical service. A report would
be issued.
DR. Latham declared that the
new regulations had been framed
without reference to the great ad-
vances made during the war. They
might as easily have been drawn up
in 1913 as in 1919. Medicine could
now give much more to the COM
munity than it was being asked to
give under these regulations.
Colonel F'remantle, coalition can
didate for St Adams, supported
what Sir Bertrand Dawson had said,
and after some further discussion
the following resolution was carried:
That in the opinion of this con-
ference of medical and allied or
ganizations the draft regulations for
1920 proposed to be made by the
minister of health with respect to
the administration of the national
health insurance medical benefit are
rot adapted to secure the most eff
Gcient services from the medical
profession nor adequate results to
the community
1T was further decided to ask the
government to set up committee OF
inquiry, and it was resolved to con-
vey these resolutions to the prime
minister"