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NEWS photo Mike Wakefield

4: STUDENTS FROM the West Vancouver CounterAttack committee brought the

“message to the mountain recently with the -installation: of. a sign to Temind: people
about the folly of drinking ad driving. Local police CounterAttack roadblocks will be
up throughout the community to Jan. 3. See drinking and driving stories on page 3.

Shopping
hargains
abound
PAGE 21

PROPOSED MEDICAL C

usiness
loss

A NORTH VANCOUVER naturopathic physician predicts
a 50 to 60 per cent decrease in the number of people using
his services if the provincial government moves on a plan to
cut naturopaths from medical services coverage.

Health Minister Peter Dueck has
hinted that visits to naturopathic
physicians and massage therapists
are being considered by the pro-
vincial government as fodder for
the medical funding chopping
block.

Said naturopath Dr. Kerry
McGuinness: ‘‘One of the first
questions asked by people (when
they come into the office) is ‘Are
you covered by the medical
plan?’””

McGuinness said the proposed
cut would hit hardest those on low
incomes, welfare recipients ‘ and
seniors. “People who know it
works will be willing to pay for the
service. But it’s a problem if you
can’t get them in the door to treat
them first,’’ he said.

The medical alternative was in-
cluded in the Workers’ Compensa-
tion Board as early as 1951.

The naturopathic approach is
based on restoring the normal
functioning of the body through
the use of natural substances and
treatments that enhance the body’s
own healing abilities.

Naturopathic medicine was add-
ed to the B.C. Medical Plan in
1967. A $5 user fee was levied this
year by the provincial government
July 1. .

But said McGuinness: ‘‘We’re
hearing unofficially that there will
be a piece of legislation introduced
early January to remove certain
groups from the medical plan.”’

Several members of the Associa-
tion of Naturopathic Physicians of
British Columbia (ANPBC) met
Dec. 17 with the Socred caucus in
Victoria to present their case.

According to ANPBC statistics,
since the implementation of the
user fee, the cost to the province
for the combined services of the 42

By MICHAEL BECKER
News Reporter

naturopathic doctors working in
B.C. has dropped to $800,000 a
year. The figure represents 150,000
patient visits.

“If it is primarily a financial
issue, there are ways of raising
$800,000. If you levied a dollar a
year onto the 1.5 to two million
contributors to the Medical Ser-
vices Plan, you could raise two
times what it costs to . keep
naturopaths in business. I don’t
think it’s primarily a financial
move,’’ McGuinness said.

West Vancouver registered
massage therapist Blair Mitten also
forecasts a drop in the numbers
he sees at his practice. ‘Three
quarters of the people coming in
are on medical coverage. There
certainly would be a drop in the
fixed income people.’”

Mitten. said current coverage
allows 10 to 15 massage visits a
year. ‘It costs $55.88 to MSP for
an average 4.75 treatments a
year,’’ Mitten said.

A $5 user fee was also levied for
massage treatments in July.

Of the total $962.9 million spent
on medical services last year, 93
per cent went to medical doctors.
The remaining seven per cent was
split by massage therapists,
naturopaths, physiotherapists and
chiropractors.

Mitten said he had brought up
the issue of massage therapy
coverage .cuts to West Van-
couver-Howe Sound MLA John
Reynolds last week. ‘‘He's actually
very much in favor of preventative
medicine. He said the decisions on
what-services might be cut will not
be made until March,’ Mitten