Evening star., 1950-12-03

key and won her A. B. and M. A.
degrees at George Washington
University. as well as the GWU
alumni achievement award.
She says: THE British COM
pulsory. socialized medicine pro-
gram is costing three times what
the government anticipated it
would. Both doctors and patients
are at the mercy of regulation by
bureaucratS. For instance, a
physician in Great Britain cannot
now move his office into the next
block. take on an assistant or go
on an extended vacation unless
his petition to do so is approved
by the local council. representing
the Ministry of Health"
She also quotes Lord Horder,
the Kings physician. as saying,
"The progress of British medicine
has been set back 100 years by the
National Health Service"
Made Second Survey.
DR.. Wilson attended the CEN
tenary of the British Institute of
Actuaries in London in 1948 and
was the only woman granted the
privilege of speaking before it. She
subsequently made an intensive
three-month study of the social
lied medicine program. She re-
Gently returned from another
three months follow-up survey of
how it is working.
II have never been so inten-
sively occupied in my life," DR..
Wilson told me. "I visited high
and low in my efforts to get ac-
curate answers to four questions:
/. What is happening to the econ
omy of the country because of the
service? 2. How are the inevita-
bic controls acting on the liber-
ties of physicians and patients?
3. How is it affecting the quality
of medical care? 4. What do peo-
pie think of it?"
With regard to the first two
questions, she stated: Britain is
spending between four and five
per cent of her national income
for the service. This is more than
10 per cent of the taxes she col
lects. Workers pay only a small
part through payroll deductions.
The rest comes from income and
sales tax collections" She quoted
Sir Hubert Henderson. British
economist. to the effect that "ex-
penditures for the National
Health Service are peculiarly in
f1ationary."
Cost Exceeds Estimates.
According to DR.. Wilson. before
the service started, its advocates
expected it would cost about 152
million pounds. In it's third year
464 million pounds have been ap-
propriated and possibly the esti-
mate may be exceeded. She
pointed out that this is not
complete accounting since there
has been no hospital expansion
although there are 90 thousand
in London waiting disqualification.
She also claims there are no new
nurses homes, although there are
40 thousand nurses needed, many
Of whom could be secured if
housing were available.
| Inevitably, when the bill is
/ presented, it will be higher than
the 500 million pounds set as the
danger line by DR.. IF. Rogers,
British medical economist" she
| stated.
Naturally" DR.. Wilson con-
tinued, "the pressure from the
exchequer for economy is result
ing in more and more controls.
Already doctors, dentists and
pharmacists are regimented by
the fact that Minister of Health
Bevan is to all intents and pur-
poses the only employer of their
professional skill. AS such he has
cut remuneration of the dentists
and pharmacists to less than was
promised before the service be-
gan. The general practitioners
too, are, contending Mr.. Bevan
has never paid them their due.
The result is that both English
family doctors and Scottish phar-
macists are threatening to leave
the service"
She called attention to the
threat last October of the British
Medical Association to pull 1000