HOSPITAL STATISTICS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 81, 22 July 1942, Page 5

HOSPITAL STATISTICS

WHAKATANE ADMINISTRATION

SOME FAVOUIIABLE COMPARISONS

The latest Government statistics relating to New Zealand Hospitals . Administration i.e. for the year ended the 31st day of March 1911 have recently come to hand and at the last meeting of the Bay of Plenty Hospital Board some' interesting figures extracted from the Government publication were read out. It will interest local ratepayers to know that the figures show that the administration of the Whakatane Hospital compares favourably with other- -hospitals in the same class, i.t\ Class JIr—40 to 100 beds. Under the heading of "Maintenance Expenditure"' the class average cost per occupied bed Avas £269.2 whilst Whakatane cost was £2(51.1, and it maj T . be noted that the average for the Dominion is £284.9. The Glass average cost per patient treated was £14.7 while Whakatane •cost was £10.0 and the Dominion average was £15. Individual average days stay of patients fpr Class 111 was 19.7 for Whakatane 13.(5. Further comparison of the Whakatane Hospital figures with tile' Dominion figures show the following : Average gross maintenance expenditure per head of population in Do-, an in ion £1 -10s -Id; jai Bay of Plenty Hospital District £1 8s Bd. Average number of occupied beds per day to

each of Nursing Staff for Dojninion was 1.7 and for Whakatanc 2.4. Administration expenditure (including secretarial, , travel ling, phones stationery,, etc.) on a percentage basis, of total maintenance costs shows the average for the Dominion as 4 per cent, and the average for Whakatanc as only 3.3 per cent.

With regard to the levies which Hospital Boards make each year on the rating authorities it is common knowledge that there have been big increases throughout the Dominion, the increases being largely accounted for by larger numbers of patients following the coming into operation •of the Social Security Act and by increasing costs. The following are the total amounts levied by the Bay ■of Plenty Hospital Board for the past .three years and the current year' and they show an increase of slightly under 100 per ccnt over the four years:— 1939/40 . .... £5132 1940/41 .. .... .. .. £5289 1941/42 .. £6169 1942/43 .. £9974