Amang the Scots; The state of welfare

Doing Glasgow Scotland. On my. Spot. The only apparent they still are feeling that. Social medicine and social services and subsidised housing and things of those kind. And I chatted to it which one. Mustn't accept in America. But I was here. We don't see it as a charity at all we think it is. We think of it as a right which we pay for which we accept willingly. With that comment on welfare. We begin the third in our series about Scotland and its people. We will hear more about living in Scotland's welfare state and take a broader look at efforts to promote the general welfare of the people. Health is a major factor in the

welfare program in any country. In order to get a clearer picture of how the health service operates in Scotland. I talked with Dr. Kenneth guest a consulting author P.D. surgeon in the National Health Service who was serving in clinics and hospitals here in the city of Glasgow. He was kind enough to invite me into his home and answer many of my questions. I first inquired about how the health service was organized. We see that our. Two main branches to the National Health Service the National Government Health Service at south and they're still the house was run by local authorities. This is largely dealing with maternity especially day and to neutral clinics. It deals with public health generally and it deals with

such things as I was prevention of fever I was following up any cases of fevers went to Buckelew series but I may be notified and this is none as distinct from the main national health service. Now the National Health Service itself consists of the two main parts for a plaque and general practitioner service. The family doctor service that is the consultant specialist at the hospital Sybase. I then asked Dr gassed about when lancing of the health programme and the pay of doctors. They finance for their service comes from contributions weekly contributions made by employers and employees. And also since this doesn't have anything like a major part of the service out of the general taxation fund. And with this their practitioners are

paid on a per capita basis. Something I think like eighteen shillings per patient they get whether they have to treat a patient or not become cytokines are paid into wages. Some of them are on time like myself and we get paid a salary approaching four and a half thousand pounds a year. That is the top grade. And those are paid on a sessional basis. Doing something like. Seven sessions a week or even less and they will get paid 7 Elevens of that salary. This is the way the payment goes. Lose out on a sessional basis can also have private practice and this varies from district to district and from speciality to speciality doctor gas then explain procedure for a patient who receives treatment.

Patients register with a doctor. Not just when they need treatment but when the faster stock paying their national health contributions. They register with this doctor and he attends to them and to their family and. They go to him when they need help and attention so he can deal with them on the spot where he can defy them if they need further advice to the local hospital when they're given an appointment. They say if it's an agent can be given right away but if it's a chronic case that not particularly urgent and they may have to wait quite a long time. This varies considerably from hospital to hospital and again various of the different speciality concerned so that you may be a waiting list as in one hospital or I'm attached to have four or five weeks for non-urgent say a pain in the foot where those other places of the hospital stay can be seen in 10 days or even sooner than that.

And as I've said if it didn't then they are seen right away. Well if I tell the specialist who will arrange treatment for them if they need to be operated upon then they make it to age and that right away or if it's not urgent they put on the waiting list and here again the time that I'm on the waiting list varies according to lay number of beds to tout available. My next question. One of the people satisfied with the National Health Service. I think until recently there's being people being quite satisfied pulled the service. But recently there's been a big increase in the number of people who've been taking out private Cathro schemes such as the Nuffield scheme here whereby you're paying something like a £12 a year for yourself a few pounds extra for ya wife and family and you can get private medical attention private beds in

hospital private consultations with surgeons. You can also or. Have a private consultation with a general practitioner. This comes under a separate scheme but not many people are insured for that. Most of them are content to go to their general practitioner and then if they say that you need to see a consultant then they will go to him privately if they are registered under the scheme as well as me a big extension of this. And. So much over there is now quite a waiting list for the private beds in hospitals or at least private beds are present in state hospitals that are also private hospitals run independently of the state service but quite a lot in fact most of the state hospitals do have a small proportion of their beds allocated to private patients. Where taken in apart from emergencies. Through a waiting list in strict rotation

they pay the full costs of the service which works out at the moment at something like 30 pounds a week for a stay in hospital costs. Sergeant offers ations fees fees for the radiologist fees for bacteriological examinations and so on. This can therefore be quite expensive but it is fully covered by this form of private insurance that does take place. What about the doctors. Are they happy about their role in the National Health Service. Dr just had this comment. At the moment there's a fair amount of dissatisfaction in the practitioner part of the service. It's sort of a vague dissatisfaction. The practices themselves wouldn't agree just what their dissatisfied ways but there's a lot of unrest they're demanding much higher pay although they claim that pay isn't really at the basis of their discontent.

The main. Contention at the moment therefore is a general practitioner Sybase. And I think most consultants are quite happy with the way things are run. They have their hospital beds. They can usually cope with Iraq and they have adequate assistant in hospitals but it is as I said before the general practitioner service which is a center of discontent and who are just awaiting the publication of a new proposal was a later view body as reported in the prime minister has its report and I were just waiting for this and it's expected that it will recommend different methods of remuneration and different conditions of employment for the general practitioner service. There's a lot of criticism of the way the sevices divide as one executive for the general practitioners another the executive for the hospital almost

and said executive for the public health 70s Another was the preventative aspect is divorced from their treatment. Aspect and this is not a very satisfactory solution. And various ideas have been put forward in the form of data I have all of those which would supervise OLED medical services in that region and this would then give you up complete coordination of all the services preventative and therapeutic. Another critical and somewhat sensitive area in the welfare state is housing. The question how far should the state go in providing housing for its people and watch should be left to private enterprise. Dr guest now points out one of his concerns in this regard. Scotland especially the big cities such as Glasgow on Dandy had the worst slums in Europe for a long time but still got some very bad ones

although you are clearing them there all the rate is very slow. One reason for the slow rate of clearance is they detach and stow building private houses for rent on their way that they subsidise I arranged. People can get. A house to rent now which the rent they pay in real money terms is less than they paid pre-war president through subsidies and until recently it was a fact that in certain parts of the West to Scotland and back and sure in Glasgow people paid more for their geysers and they paid for their houses in rent. And this of course discourages people from paying a little more to get a private house they will be prepared to wait a few years and get a house at a very cheap rent rather than pay double the rent and get a house next year. This is discourage their private building in Scotland. This is typical of Scotland you don't get it down in England where. A more economic level

but less just to addition sprang up in some of the industrial centers of Glasgow that you must have very cheap housing and the rent through out at a very and economic level. Glasgow and Dunbartonshire have been forced to recently by the government to raise their rent. But as I said even so in real money terms they are still below what people were paying pre-war and you get pay anomaly are rising. Let people who have a pre-war House actually and not paying rent for that and maybe getting no more than the average income and they are subsidizing people who are better off than them sounds to have a modern house at a cheaper and sharing this point of view is a Glasgow businessman a 35 year resident in Glasgow. The people who are custom to live that very

low rent in these old houses. Consequently when new houses were built. They could not afford the economic rent for decent living living accommodation to overcome this. The corporation subsidized the arrangements by contributing part of the rates to the upkeep and maintenance of these houses. The result of this was that it became totally an economical for any private builder to put up a health and attempt to maintain it. Consequently there is very little private building in and around Glasgow. The workers nearly all live in

houses which are owned by the corporation and they live at Ranes which by standards in any other European country are extremely low. In spite of these concerns. There are many who feel that Scotland's housing policy is fully justified. Listen to a native Scotsman comparing the situation in Scotland and the United States. I remember driving up I think it was it ever signed Boulevard in New York and seeing a great big tall buildings which I was told were municipal flats these were flat high rise flats built by New York local authority. Once a plater house slum clearance people and I was told that the great difficulty was getting people to live in these houses prepared there. They felt that there was something.

Something wrong or something below the dignity that they should be living in subsidized housing. And yet in this country I would think well you know what Glasgow is like I suppose half the population of Glasgow must live in houses built by the local authority and I'm happy to live and the fact that they want this house. The type of house all the time because it's far better than the House they're going to come out of. I know of any others and in one area in England where I think 90 percent of the population live in subsidised hosers we don't see this as something which is wrong. We don't see something in the US as something which is degrading. We think this is something which is necessary here and the people who live in these houses are delighted to have them. They've got bathrooms more often than not they've got their central heating days the newer ones and you know what this is money can Scotland it's almost

non-existent. And yet they have them. Many of these houses are far better equipped than privately owned houses. And there is apparently still a feeling that. Social medicine and social services and subsidized housing and things of those kind. I've chatted to which one. Mustn't except in America but as here we don't see it as a charity at all we think it is. We think of it as a right which we pay for which we accept willingly and those of us who live another and I was as I imagine we we wish we had found a good old getting now and again about the cost of taxes and local taxes and so on. The less we pay them and I think at the end of the day the bulk of us are quite delighted to think that slowly but surely we are raising the living accommodation and the living standards of the other people to make even it is a bit less fortunate than we

are. Health and housing of course are only two of the major factors which affect the welfare of the people. Religion recreation and the economy all play their part and no factors are any more important than that of education. A subject for the next programme of this series. For many decades Scotland was chiefly engaged in heavy industry and still produces much of Britain's coal and most of its merchant ships and a considerable portion of heavy and you nearing products such as locomotives. The concentration on heavy industry has created serious economic problems and so in recent years the country is trying to diversify by the introduction of light industries. In spite of these recent efforts Scotland's industrial problems are far from solved. The country has been continuously plagued with unemployment which is double that of the United Kingdom as a whole shipbuilding one of the major industries

has greatly suffered through the competition from other countries from lack of modernization and of course from labor problems. On the brighter side Britain leads the world in the peaceful application of nuclear energy a nuclear power station in Scotland has four reactors feeding electricity into the national system and within a few years 14 such stations will contribute one quarter of Britain's total electrical output. One serious problem which has been pointed out to me many times is the lack of opportunity for the talent turned out by the Scottish universities. The emigration of these well trained people to England and to other countries is a very big concern to present leaders as an outside observer and as one who can only raise some questions without giving answers. I wonder whether this welfare state with its nationalized approach to most problems may discourage and tend to destroy

incentive. Why should the worker or the employer worry about product productivity. The state will provide for the individual in sickness and in health and the state will also take away most of the individual's income. To meet its obligations. However the advantages of the welfare state seem to have been generally accepted by the people here and for the most part it is not even a political issue. There are voices here and there calling for better solutions to Scotland's economic problems. And the Nationalist Party and minority one demand some breaking of the ties with England and the establishment of their own parliament for dealing with local problems. Although most people I believe would consider a complete break with England a disastrous move. Many of these same people would wish for a greater degree of Scottish independence. The Scots are an end of a dualistic people and they are blessed with a great amount of ingenuity. It will

be interesting to observe their efforts in solving current and future problems. Art makes its unique contribution to the general welfare and here in Glasgow. Art has never been neglected even in the most intense period of industrial expansion. I have been delighted to discover that Glasgow galleries housed magnificent art collections including outstanding tapestries pottery and of course paintings. Scotland has its own National Symphony Orchestra but perhaps makes its greatest contribution to the world of music through the annual Edinburgh Festival. There is widespread interest also and enjoyment of the music of the people and the pure folk music which we will consider in a later program. Many traditional Scottish songs are known and loved throughout the world. And right now I would like for you to hear a favorite of the Scottish people.

In fact it is the musical theme for this series and is untitled Scotland the Brave. If you want to hear it performed by a vocal group. And a Scottish sing along recording. Or he asked. Me to. Guy was OK.

Oh and I miss my my oh ok ok cause I would still be your stoic OK. I was shy. OK. I. Say OK was OK my way I am I am. OK. OK. OK OK. Yeah OK. You are you ok. Are you

a wreck a. Where. Yes I am. OK. Oh yes. Oh OK. We. Well yeah. Hey hey hey. Hey. Hey. Hey hey. The. With the at the top. Most of us I'm sure will accept the notion that sports and recreation

contribute to the health and welfare of many people. And with respect to these two factors the people of Scotland have a maid who has not heard of the most famous golf course in all the world. St. Andrews. And there's nothing exclusive about this course for it is open to any golfer who pays the fees. Here is where the official rules of the game are made. What is so good about golf in Scotland is the fact that there are so many courses making it possible for all who wish to play and at a very reasonable rate of course. I am told that there are so many courses in Scotland that tourist guide books are often unable to list them all. Curling football and golf in their present form at least began in Scotland. And football undoubtedly is the most widely popular sport today. Not football as we

think of it in America but a form of soccer. I attended a game between England and Scotland with 130000 spectators present only a very few women attend these games and most of the space available is for standing only. I am told that during the famous and decisive battle of lying side in Glasgow Mary Queen of Scots watched the battle from a distance and she sought diversion by having her retainers play a game of football. As for curling a sport which is very new to me I soon learned that the game was played by propelling stones on ice toward a target circle about 35 yards away. These domes are circular and highly polished with fixed handles the ices swept with brooms to move particles of snow and leave us move fast surface Curling has been Scotland's water sport for over

400 years. Ever since it was pushed by up the country by Flemish merchants in the 15th or 16th century. I want to Cajun. I was in the home oh some good Scottish friends who had small children. I asked a young lad to explain to me how to play the game of curry and here is his explanation. Please ignore our baby brother who tries to get into the act a little later. What a bank you are bright. Brochure. And you cannot simply give your point your most important key to rule. Oh now I'm sure you understand all about the game of curling in spite of that

interference from the baby brother. Although cricket is not a major sport in Scotland it is played throughout the United Kingdom so I decided to learn a little about this game. I received the following explanation from an older friend who had a well-developed Scottish sense of humor. You have to decide to run out in the field run independently of each man I'm afraid. But they didn't get out. My buddies at work. We committed. Then the next man get in and go he's out when they're out I'm about to say that I'd been out in the field becomes good. I'm just saying that that's been in goes out and tries to get there was coming in. Then when both sides have been in and out including the not out that the end of the game. One final bite. You don't want to go

in. When I'm tired it gives you up. We have now mentioned golf. Football and curling and we have only just begun to mention the opportunities for sports and recreation. Rather. Than the creation of the subject for consideration in our next report. From Glasgow. This is where you mewling among the Scots. This has been a production of The Ohio State University telecommunications center. This program was distributed by a national educational radio. This is the national educational radio network.