The Labour government introduced the maternity benefits scheme in 1939. Under this scheme, women received free maternity care and doctors had free access to hospitals for deliveries. It was initially resisted by some doctors, as this newspaper clipping from April 1939 shows. 'B.M.A.' stands for British Medical Association – the New Zealand branch represented local doctors.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
National Library of New Zealand, Papers Past
Reference:
Evening Post, 28 April 1939, p. 12
Permission of the National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.
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