MAJORITY REPORT. 
206: 
medical service given to the public in the colliery areas of South 
Wales.” Mr. Eynon Lewis, representing the Glamorgan Insut- 
ance Committee, admitted (Q. 13,289) that ‘‘ there may be a 
difference in the quality of the service of a practitioner which 
an organisation approved under Section 24 (3) may obtain as 
compared with an institution approved under Section 24 (4) 
because of the ban of the British Medical Association.’’ 
646. After careful consideration of all the evidence we have 
come to the conclusion that organisations recognised under Sec- 
tion 24 (8) of the Act are open to objection inasmuch as their 
existence is, in effect, an evasion of section 24 (4) of the Act 
and an improper use of Section 24 (3), the real purpose of which 
we conceive to have been the provision for individual cases and 
such special types as nurses in hospitals. The concession granted 
by section 24 (4) was definitely limited to those institutions 
which were actually in existence at the date on which the original 
Act was passed. The recognition of new institutions specially 
set up for the purpose of ** collective own arrangements *’ cannot, 
in our view, be regarded as consistent with the limiting pro- 
visions of Section 24 (4), which would indeed be stultified by any 
extension of this procedure. 
647. We therefore recommend that Section 24 (3) of the Act 
should be amended so as to debar any Insurance Committee, or 
Local Authority succeeding to its powers, from sanctioning the 
use of any organisation for the purpose of ‘‘ collective own 
arrangements,’”’ and to provide that the provisions of the Sub- 
section shall not be applied otherwise than to individual insured 
persons. We wish, however, to make it clear that our recom- 
mendation does not apply to cases in which nurses or other 
resident employees of hospitals normally receive medical treat- 
ment and attendance from the medical staffs of the hospitals in 
accordance with the terms of their employment. 
648. With regard to the existing institutions which have 
already received recognition under Section 24 (3) we do not 
suggest that such recognition should be withdrawn, but recom- 
mend that approval should be extended to them under Section 24 
(4), and that such amendment of Section 24 (4) as may be neces- 
sary to enable this to be done should be effected. 
DISPENSING OF DRUGS FOR INSURED PERSONS. 
649. It is provided by Section 24 (5) of the Act that all 
medicines supplied to insured persons shall be dispensed either 
by, or under the direct supervision of, a registered pharmacist 
or by a person who for three years immediately before the passing 
of the 1911 Act acted as a dispenser to a duly qualified medical 
practitioner or a public institution.