The Doctors' Last Thoughts
The fact that the return of plebiscite forms by doctors to the British Medical Association is postponed till Saturday of this week will give an opportunity for the signatories to consider seriously the effect, both for themselves and for the community, of a refusal to accept service under the National Health Service Act. The latest concessions made by the Minister of - Health have, as even the chairman of the B.M.A. has admitted, substantially changed the whole situation. The only serious point of contention relates to the purchase and sale of practices, a 'matter on which, the profession is not united while public opinion is unquestionably opposed to the continuance, under a State scheme, of such transactions ; holders of existing practices are to be generously compensated for deprivation of the right to sell them. In spite of this the result of the plebiscite is not to be predicted with any confidence. Meetings of doctors all over the country have declared, usually by large majorities, against acceptance of service, even under the new conditions indicated by Mr. Bevan. It by no means follows that all doctors who at a public meeting vote against acceptance will register the same decision on the secret plebiscite paper ; but the question whether 13,000 general practitioners will declare against the health scheme is still open ; it is only if that number is secured that the B.M.A. will adopt non- acceptance as its official policy. The doctors have fought hard, and got a great deal of what they wanted. They may reasonably be called on now, in the name of the community, not merely to acquiesce in the Government proposals but to co-operate in giving this country the best public health service in the world. It is only on that basis that amendments of the Health Service Act—and amendments will certainly be necessary—can be worked out successfully.
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