Working of the Panel System The criticisms passed upon the pand patient system a short time ago by Dr, Edwin Smith, the Coroner for North-East London, when holding am inquest at Shoreditch, engaged the attention of the local council of that district on September 14, the subject arising upon. the receipt of the following letter from the Insurance Committee for the County of London; "As you are no doubt aware, an inquest was held recently by the Coroner for North East London concerning the death of an insured person, and at_ the conclusion of the proceedings certain remarks derogatory to the system of medical benefit under the National Health Insurance Acts were made by the Coroner. The attention of the Insurance Committee for the County of London was drawn thereto, and they appointed a In effect the report stated that the Coroner's strictures were not warranted by the facts, while the psychological effect of such pronouncements was extremely harmful to insured persons in receipt. of treatment.
Councillor W. H. Girling, -the ex-Mayor, moved that the Council should disagree with the purport of the sub-committee's report, and said that it was positively alarming to see the number of poor people waiting outside the surgeries of panel doctors. Those sick people went to their panel doctors for the purpose of getting some benefit, but while they were lining up in the streets waiting their turn in all kinds of weather they were getting very much worse. In East-road there was one medical mau who had over three thousand panel patients upon his 90: and how was it possible for any medical man te deal properly and efficiently with such a number?
Councillor Har that it was imro: ood contended to imagine anything that could be worse than the present scheme, by means of which the working men and employers of the country were fleeced to keep up an army of officials and clerks, who absorbed eighty per cent. of the money, while only 20 per cent. went to the benefit of the insured. It was a scandal to any country. He desired. to associate himself with the Coroner's remarks.
Councillor G. Lee denied the accuracy of the figures, and said that the medical side of the scheme would be improved as time went on.
The resolution in favour of disagreeing with the report of thie sub-committee of the Insurance Committee was rejected by 15 votes to ten,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.