A National Health Service: Report of the Council of the British Medical Association

O N F E B R U A R Y 17, t h e B r i t i s h W h i t e P a p e r o n a N a t i o n a l H e a l t h Serv i ce was m a d e p u b l i c . O n F e b r u a r y 18, t h e B r i t i s h M e d i c a l A s s o c i a t i o n issued a b r i e f s t a t e m e n t i n d i c a t i n g t h a t , w h i l e i t was c l e a r l y too e a r l y t o g ive a c o n s idered j u d g m e n t , " t h e W h i t e P a p e r prov ides a f r a m e w o r k w i t h i n w h i c h we bel ieve i t t o be possible t o evolve a good c o m p r e h e n s i v e m e d i c a l service , t h o u g h i t s w o r t h t o t h e p u b l i c a n d i t s a c c e p t a b i l i t y t o t h e pro f e ss i on w i l l d e p e n d o n c l a r i f i c a t i o n a n d o n n e g o t i a t i o n s o n m a n y i m p o r t a n t p o i n t s . . . O u r i m m e d i a t e r e a c t i o n is one o f c a u t i o u s we l come . " 1 A d e t a i l e d " d r a f t s t a t e m e n t o f p o l i c y , " a r e p o r t o f t h e C o u n c i l o f t h e B M A t o t h e Assoc ia t ion ' s R e p r e s e n t a t i v e B o d y , was issued i n t h e British Medical Journal o f M a y 13. T h i s r e p o r t is t o p r o v i d e a basis f o r d iscuss ion a t m e e t i n g s o f t h e w h o l e m e d i c a l p r o fession, n o n m e m b e r s as w e l l as m e m bers o f t h e A s s o c i a t i o n , t h r o u g h o u t