PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 298, 12 September 1919, Page 8

PUBLIC HOSPITALS

NATIONALISATION SUGGESTED PROPOSAL FOR FREE TREAT- ; MENT A proposal that the hospitals of the j Dominion should bo nationalised and that j treatment should be frco of cost, was submitted to tho conference ot tho Municipal Association last night. The Pelonc Borough Council laid before the conference the following remit on the matter: "That the present method of levying local bodies for the upkeep of hospitals and charitable aid be discontinued, and that hospitals, etc., bo nationalised and the whole upkeep met out of general revenue, the whole treatment, etc, to be freo of cost to patients, and that the Government be urged to bring down the necessary legislation to give eltVct to the above." Mr. J. W. M'Ewan (Mayor of Petone), in moving the remit, saiu the health of tho people was of the first importance. If the people were healthy they would bo quite capable of looking alter tho acquisition of wealth, providing that the acquisition was mado on an equitable basis. The hospitals to-day were being conducted ,in a satisfactory manner, otherwise they would not bp so largely patronised. A delegate: Nonsense. Continuing, Mr. M'Ewan said that practically only one-third of the fees payable were paid by tho patients. The milk of tho people who went into hospitals came from the working class, and this was the reason why difficulty was experienced in securing payment of tho tees. When the bread-winner of a fam. ily was laid aside through illness they were not in a position to meet ductors' bills. Doctors were making increased use of hospitals. Whenever possiblo medical men. sent patients into tno bospitals. -If it were found that the number of hospital'patients was increasing, and that it was impossible to collect n greater percentago or fees, then the lev. ies on tho local bodies must increase until they reached a point when the;, could not bo novne. Delegates: It has been reached now. Mr. M'rJwan went on to say I hat the only remedy was ,to nationalise the hospitals of the Dominion. Tho mental institutions and sanatoria were controlled by the Government. If the Government could successfully manage those places, there was no reason to think that they would "make a mess" of the general hospitals. In Wellington there were 50, tubercular patients receiving treatment in their own homes. This was a danger to tho population. .When the matter was referred to the late Minister of Public Health ho had said that it was very' diliicult to find a remedy. The reason was that'mere was insufficient accommodation in the' hospitals to deal with such 1 patients. For tho year ended March 31, 1918, the fees received from patients amounted to Allo.OOO. " The cost of collection of the iees would probably absorb from 15 to 20. per cent. If the fees wero entirely dispensed with it would represent a loss in revenue that would have to be borno by the Consolidated Fund to tho , extent, say, of ,£IOO,OOO. Were fees . abolished large numbers of people who went into hospitals- because they believed they got the best treatment "there, would probably make voluntary contributions to the hospitals. (Laughter.) 'Some-body laughs," added Mr.M'Ewan. "It is well known that many people do make voluntary contributions to the funds of hospital boards." If they went in for free treatment it would make for tho betterment of tho health of the people. Mr. E. P. Rishworth (Mayor of Lower Hutt)echaractorised tho remit as "pernicious." Although he represented a body whoso finances had been straitened by tho heavy levies demanded by the Wellington Hospital Board, ho was suro his council would strongly oppose tho nationalisation of the hospitals. The present system of administration was cumbersome, and the remedy lay in a. better method of representation. ■ Ho quite agreed with the principle that those who could not pay for treatment should be paid for by those who wero, in a position to pay, but tho suggestion that the institutions would receive voluntary contributions -had very little to support it...

Mr. C. E. Mackay (Mayor of Wanganui) considered that everybody should be made to pay fees who could do so. Working men ought to belong to lodges. Tho present system of management was too cumbersome, and then again there were the disadvantages of dual control. The representatives of the Government seemed to have as much: "say" in hospital control a? the hospital hoards themselves. For that reason he favoured the nationalisation of the hospitals. After further discussion, the portion of ■tho remit dealing with cost of. treatment was deleted, and tho proposal that tho hospitals should bo nationalised was defeated on tho voices. .

The conference carried a remit from tho Lower Hutt Borough Council urging that contributing local bodies (mould ihavo, direct. representation on hospital and charitable aid boards.