HOSPITAL RATING

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 75, 8 July 1942, Page 5

HOSPITAL RATING

ECHOES IN PARLIAMENT

LO'CAE M.P.s STATE CASE

"The problem of hospital rating as one of the burning questions of the day, and it is not an exaggeration to say that if the present position continues it will cause consternation throughout the country," declared Mr F. W. Doidge, M.P., in Parliament.

The incidence of hospital taxation, continued Mr Doidge, was inequable and unfair. Since the Social Security Scheme had come into operation, the burden upon the hospitals had steadily increased. In Tauranga, hospital levies had gone up from £3200 in 1933 to £10,079 in 1942—an increase of 300 per cent. The Tauranga -County paid 2-5 per cent of its whole ■revenue to hospital administration.

Recently, added the speaker, lie liacl attended a conference of local bt>dy representatives from Tauranga, Te Puke, Rotorua, Opotiki and Whafkatane, and it was clear that local 'bodies were at their Avits end how to deal with the problem. The feeling was held that the burden was 'unequally distributed as between town and country. In New Zealand 61 per cent of population was found !n the towns, and 39 per cent in the country. When it came to taxation 53 per cent was paid by the > country and only 47 per cent by the towns —this despite the fact that country people had less recourse to the hospitals, since they were the .healthier section of the community.

Native Problem - A The native problem was a difficult one, added Mr Doidge. It represent- * ed a responsibility no one would wish to. evade. Mr Richards: The natives have to 'be cared for. Mr Doidge: Of course they. have. ■ I3ut . the native problem should be regarded as a national problem. As it is r the bulk of the Maori popular tion .is to be found concentrated in •a few areas, and the cost of hospw 4:al benefits falls on the white popu-. lation in those areas. For instance, in Opotiki you have 2500 Maoris and 2100 pakehas. The burden of the -hospital upkeep falls upon less than -50 per cent of the whole. In Opotiki the Maoris pay three' per cent -of the rates collected, yet fill the with 60 per cent of the patients. In the Maternity Hospital at Te Puke three out of every four patients are Maoris, and on the day. that the Minister of Health recently visited Tauranga hospital 20 out of 60 patients were Maoris. It costs * Opotiki £1500 a year to maintain Maori T.B. patients .in sanitoria -outside the district Treatment of Soldiers

As the war progressed, continued IMr Doidge, treatment of soldiers would add to the hospital problem. Treatment of soldiers should be a 'Government responsibility. The Whakatane conference of local body : representatives had discussed the -possibility of using the Lottery sys--vtfem for the benefit of hospitals. In /Queensland, what was known as the ""Golden Casket" system brought in £2,837.000 per year. In New Zealand we had a lottery system which showed a yearly profit of £70,000. An -extension of this system for the benefit of hospitals might not commend itself to the people as a whole. v-Other . methods discussed at Wha"k'atane included proposals for total upkeep out of the Consolidated Fund - or alternatively an extra shilling on the Social Security Fund. "It is clear,'" concluded, the spcakr er, "that the present system represents too crushing a burden on the rural community. The hospitals are for the people, and the people should \Vgy- Hospital upkeep should be regarded as a national obligation." Mr Sullivan's Plea _ Mr W. Sullivan (Bay of Plenty) said that during the last four years there had been an enormous increase in v the rates levied by local bodies for the administration of hospitals generally. He was pleased that the Prime Minister and the Minister of Health had given an assurance that the question, would be looked into. The more the rates increased the the owners* equity in their properties. Small home owners and ratepayers generally were suffering heavily." They were being hit in thrde ways, because in addition to paying rates they contributed to the social Security Fund and to the ConFund. The concensus of [pinion was that the. charge for ervicemen in hospital should be >ofoe by the War Expenses account nd not by any particular hospital j

board. It was interesting to note that the hospital levy in the Bay of Plenty district in 3937-38 Avas £3160. To-day they had to find £9974, and the money came out of the ratepayers' pockets only, yet everyone had the privilege of the service. In 193738 the hosjjital in his district had accommodation for 36 patients,, and the cost of each bed a day then was about 14s. 9d. It was now a 62-bed hospital, and the cost was £1 0s 6d a day. The 6s for each bed allowed under the Social Security Act had been cancelled out because of increased costs brought about very largely by the Government's policy. As the Government brought in the Social Security legislation with increased charges which were loaded on to the it was only fair to ask that the incidence of taxation should be altered to meet the changed circumstances.