The Cotton Factory Times. — 1920-03-05 (Manchester, Greater Manchester, England)

HEALTH INSURANCE NOTES.  BENEFITS AND MENACES OF UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE.  PANEL DOCTORS  THE TIME LIMIT FOR COMPENSATION CLAIMS.  I am atilt seeking information about the appointment of Mrs. Aspinall to the Consultative Council on General Health Questions established under the Ministry of Health. roe matter has been raised at the Legislative Council of the United Textile Fa., tory Vr orkers Association, and it has been am., taMed tint although she is described in the press and by the Government as their nominee the L.C. are not responsible. I am casting no aspersion on Mrs. Aspinall. She may be a very estimable lady. I know nothing to the contrary. What lam up against is all this wire-pulling, and the appointment of people to important Government committees in this way. Here we have a committee whose work is to put before the Ministry of Health a statement of the main defects in existing 'Provisions for safeguarding the health of the people, and to suggest remedies from the standpoint of persons who as members of the general public will be affected by the health services. And the cotton approved societies are not even consulted. If Mrs. Aspinall does not represent the Textile Association whom does she represent? With committees constituted in this way is it any wonder that medical benefit is restricted to a few words and a bottle of not too expensive medicine [A letter from Mrs. Aspinall will be found in another column.—Ed. The Unemployment !neurones BM. I have already said that this bill may be the means of scooping every cotton worker into the trade union tor all purposes or by neglect and apathy it can dig tile grace of trade unionism. The capitalist approved societies are moving heaven and earth to get the unemployment benefit tacked on to the health insurance benefit. In these days of vote catching no Government dare ignore a deputation who allege they are representing 12 millions who will come under the scheme. I don't know what is going to happen. What Ido Know is that conferences and negotiations are taking place in • private. Not only so, the present Government do • not like trade unions. The capitalist insurance . . . .  societies .;;;;;deTciT;2l9l2. If the win again, then in my view it will be another bio• stride towards the killing of trade unionism. I wish I could succeed in making my readers see the real application of the principle involved and the ultimate effect of the unemployment insurance bill. We cannot afford to be merely passive and allow things to slide. That way lies suicide, and it to folly in all its nakedMany things are passing away. Let us take care that trade unionism is not ir,cluded.  Proceedings for Compensatibn. Proceedings to recover comnensation under the Act are not maintainable unless due notice has been given and unless the claim is made within six months from death in the case of fatal accident. The failure, however, to make a claim within the merited time is not to be a bar to the maintenance of proceeding's if it is found that ouch failure was occasioned by mistake or other reasonable cause. A railway worker who met with an accident in January, 1917, and continued at work till April, 1919, and who failed in his corn. peneation claim at the County Court, took his case to the Court of Appeal, and got the decision reversed. It was held that reasonable cause for failure to make the claim within six months had been established, and that the woikman had a rialt to have his claim for compensation heard. Whilst welcoming this decision p.ple who meet with accidento should not depend on this decision. They should report all accidents immediately to their employer and trade union secretary. Doctors and the Public.  The time has arrived when a statutory committee or tribunal should be set up in the interests of the geneial public to hear complaints of negligen,e, etc., by them against members of the medical profesaion. Whatever may be the defects of the panel system, and they are many, there can be no two opinions that the patients of panel doctor. under the Insurance Act are in this respect in a favoured positi:in as against that of the non-insured population. Every Insurance Committee throughout the country is bound to net up a subcommittee, whcse primary duty is to inquire into complaints made against panel doctors by insured persons. Complaints are heard in camera, and if, alter fully hearing the evidence on both sides, the sub-committee are of opinion that the complaint Ins been substantiated, appropriate action is recommended to the Minister of ilealth. This sometimes results in the doctor being deprived of a portion of his remuneration and in a particularly bad case in his removal from the panel. The doctors have protection societies, the public have not. It is common knowledge that if a patient,  even with a lions-fide grievance, desires to resort to litigation (which is both expensive and dilatory) he frequently finds that in consequence of the tenets of " profn.sior,3l etiquette," no doctor of any standing will give the requisite evidence against his brother practitioner unless absolutely compn!led. One good thing about the Insurancn Act is that a doctor who undertakes the treatment of insured persons knows that he may properly be ceded upon at any time to answer a complaint made by one of his insured patients. %%hen trade unionists are properly educated to the wisdom of being insured through their trade unions there will be a far greeter incentive on thii part of the practitioner to give satisfai,tory service. I regard medical benefit as one of the most important under the Act, and I want the panel pre* titioner to be the best.