PRIVACY FOR PATIENTS.

Press, Volume LVII, Issue 17126, 22 April 1921, Page 7

PRIVACY FOR PATIENTS.

, iREAHktENT IS HOSPfTAiS. th© estahlishnteiit of private of pay* ins watds in hospitals was one of the subjects which eame tip fdr review; during Mohday's aittihg of' the Hospitals Cetemissioii at Auckland. Mr T. Ellis, fepresetitihg the Whangarei fibspital Board, ataied that his Board .Was k. favour of. providing -private wards at a email extra ciutrge, tip to about £4 per Week, He thought that if these Wire established many well-to. de peopis would prefer paying a little extra for them instead of going into the general wards. This was parties lai-ly the ease With regard te people Birfierlfag from flerfmis complaints, who desired the privacy of a room to themselvei: There was no doubt but that ihahy people Would go into the ptlblie hospitalj provided there were private Wards, who would otherwise enter & private hospital. With regard te sta'ffIflg, it Weuld not be possible to maihi. taifi ft separate staff of hhrses for duties Ih these wards, as they might set always be occupied. Neither would the Boafd permit any outside practitioners to attend patients iii grivate Waildsj save by speoial. permission in each case, Which permission might, be withdrawn if the Board considered it desirable to do so. Mr A% Wallqce, chaitmaii ,of the Aucktarid Board, said that his Board was of the opinion that it would not be desirable to establish private wards, fearing that class distinction would thereby be introduced. A grave eongidefatidfl ill this matter would be the heavy capital expenditure entailed in Srovidihg* accoinh]odfttidni and might ave the effect of curtailing provision In other directions for those Who eould not affofd tb pay. "A member of the Commission suggested that the provision of Such wurds Wottld give ah opportunity to people td pay for treatment according to their jmeatuv '■ » ■ Mr Wallace said that the, impression Would ihevitably develop that better treatment wds given in these war_ds. He believed that the majority of ratepayers ill: Atichland Would prefer going into the public hospital for treatment rather than to private institutions, provided they could get accommodation. The fact of ft patient being wealthy was no bar to getting treatment in the hospital, but preference was given to poor people. He believed that many people" who did .not now use the .hospital Would Use private Wards at a higher

.'■fee/ : ■■:'..■;". r. '' ' I Br. C. E. Maguire, superintendent of the Auckland Hospital,, said he waa ■miieh in fnvduf of the scheme of providing private wards at public hospitals. He believed it would make for efficiencv. It,wbuld give the patients the advantage of Special departments not existing in private hespitals. ine , objection' of many iieople.to ordinary wardß was the lack of privacy. As to a belief growing that better treatment Wdtild be gtveh in private wards, ne sftid that be only onefetimdnr'd of treatifieiit Ih any hospitalj and that was the best. It was only a matter of educating the pMlblic on this Subject. It Weufd hot. involve a separate nufsirig staff* TbiS system was bound to. come.--It was the. modem Urend of hospital development.