Health Bill, 1954

Public bill · Government · Introduced

The Health Bill, 1954 would allow the new health system to be introduced gradually, rather than requiring all planned hospital, specialist, maternity and infant services to begin at once on 1 August 1954. Initially, hospital and specialist care would cover lower-income people, certain insured workers and schoolchildren, while maternity and infant services would begin for the lower-income group; other groups could be added as staff, hospitals, funding and agreements became available. Medical care, child welfare, school health, dental and eye services, and milk for certain mothers and young children could proceed as planned. Insured people who already qualified for free hospital treatment would also be protected from new daily charges and deductions when choosing a hospital, avoiding a loss of existing benefits or extra hardship.

Last updated 10 June 2020