NATIONAL HEALTH.

No. 55 of 1956.

An Act to amend the National Health Act 1953–1955.

[Assented to 30th June, 1956.]

BE it enacted by the Queen’s Most Excellent Majesty, the Senate, and the House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Australia, as follows :—

Short title and citation.

1.—(1.)     This Act may be cited as the National Health Act 1956.

(2.)   The National Health Act 1953–1955 is in this Act referred to as the Principal Act.

(3.)   The Principal Act, as amended by this Act, may be cited as the National Health Act 1953–1956.

Commencement.

2.—(1.)     Except as provided by the next succeeding sub-section, this Act shall come into operation on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

(2.)   Section four of this Act shall be deemed to have come into operation on the fourteenth day of April, One thousand nine hundred and fifty-four.

3.  After section fifteen of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Medical service not specified in Schedules.

“15a.—(1.)  Where a medical service is not specified in any of Parts 2 to 7 (inclusive) of the First Schedule to this Act or in the Second Schedule to this Act, the Minister may, by writing under his hand, determine an amount, not exceeding Eleven pounds five shillings, to be the appropriate amount of Commonwealth benefit in respect of that service, and where a contributor incurs or has incurred medical expenses in respect of that medical service while that determination is in operation or is deemed to have been in operation—

(a) that medical service shall be deemed to be a professional service specified in the Second Schedule to this Act; and

(b) the amount specified in the determination shall be deemed to be specified in that Schedule in relation to that medical service.

“(2.)    A determination under this section shall come into operation, or shall be deemed to have come into operation, on such date as the Minister specifies in the determination.”.

Commonwealth benefit not payable where medical expenses payable to public hospitals.

4.  Section nineteen of the Principal Act is amended by omitting sub-sections (2.) and (3.) and inserting in their stead the following sub-section:—

“(2.)    In this section—

‘hospital treatment’ has the same meaning as in Part V. of this Act;

‘professional service’ does not include a professional service specified in any of the following items in the Second Schedule to this Act, namely, items two hundred and one to three hundred and eighteen, inclusive, and three hundred and thirty-two;

‘public hospital’ means premises or part of premises which are recognized, in accordance with the law of a State, as a public hospital and in which patients are received and lodged for hospital treatment, and includes—

(a) in relation to the State of South Australia, a hospital to which Part IV. of the Hospitals Act, 1934–1952, of that State applies; and

(b) the Canberra Community Hospital.”.

5.  After section one hundred and nineteen of the Principal Act the following section is inserted:—

Acting member.

“119a. If the Minister becomes aware that a member of a Committee will be unable to attend a meeting or meetings of the Committee, the Minister may appoint a qualified person to act in the stead of that member at the meeting or meetings from which he will be absent, and the person so appointed shall, while so acting, be deemed to be a member of the Committee.”.

Publication of notice of certain action taken under this Act.

6.  Section one hundred and thirty-four a of the Principal Act is amended by inserting in sub-section (1.), after the word “Act”, the words “and a statement of the reason for that action”.