'Publicity Seeking'

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 27, 16 February 1937, Page 6

'Publicity Seeking'

mr morse charged Mounting Costs at The Hastings Hospital \ V ■■ ■ ■ —

INACCURATE CRITIC1SM That members of the finance committee were failing to give any consideration • to the finances generally was a charge made by Mr C. G. Morse at yesterday 's meeting of the Hawke's Bay Hospital Board. He submitted that in a return placed before the board by the secretary, Mr B. T. Bees, the costs for beds at the Memorial Hospdtal, Hastings, were mounting up considerably as compared with the costs at Napier. Mr Morse's comments were regarded as being totally inaccurate and made in the interests of publicity. The chairman, Mr C. Lassen, eonsidered that it was a move to endeavour to show matters up in an unfavourable Jight since he had assumed the chairmanship of the board.

The discussion tooK place on tho following report submitted by the isecretary: — "The approximate costs per bed in the Napier Hospital, and per general bed in the Memorial Hospital, for tho nine months ended December 31, 1936, are as follow* — Napier Hospital. Average number of oecupied beds; 1S3.4. Cost per occupied bed: £136. Memorial Hospital-rCreneral Side. •Averaga number of p.ceupied be.ds: 46.36. Cost per -occupied bed; £190. The ' a-verage cost of the maternity hospicals of this class in the 'Dominion for the year ended March 31, 1935, was £280 ' per occupied bed; therefore the 10 maternity beds at the Memorial Hospital have been taken into account ta arrive at the net cost per occupied fced in the general wards." "I do not want to cast any reflections, but we have had returns of our finances prepared ..by the secretary placed before the board," said Mr Morse. "I don't remember any member giving any " consideration to " our finances. Six months ago I said that we wero sailing on an even keel, but in the light of this .xeport I am greatly alarmed at the increased costs in certain directions. "Not Getting Down To It." "It is plain," declared Mr Mc-rse/ "that the finance committee is not gettmg down to tin-tacks in the way that it should do, by; minutely dealing with the returns given by the secretary. When the number of patients is increased we find that it has the eilect of bringing .down the costs per bed. Thi.3 has been reflected in the Napier Hospital but not at the Hastings Hospital. I am won.dering if we are doing the fair thing in not making our figures niore public and so letting those who are paying the piper know just where we are heading. "I was surprised that when we waived the £1000 in regard to maintenance for the Hastings Hospital to enable additions to be made the contributors did not take some notice of it. "The costs at the Hastings Hospital have increased considerably, and the public should know it. I think that the. finance committee should go into th« whole question. ■ I want to know, M>Chairman, how much you have gone into it. ", "I have gone into it quite cften with the managing secretary, aad 1 have been watching it most caiofally/' said the chairman. "Since the eslimates for the year were prepared wage3 have beep greatly- increased and everything has gono up in cost." "I want to know whether the cost per bed has increased apart from tho recent increased costs, ' 5 said Mr Morse. "That cannot be assessed before the end of the year," replied th'e chairman, "We have been O.K-ing expenditure that we should not have O.K.-ed in the past," said Mr Morse. "We have got into Easy Street. 'With the increase at the Hastings Hospital there must be something wrong. We have got to get into it, and I move that the finance committee report on the position.'* Publicity and Inaccuraey. "There is a good deal of publicity in what Mr Morse has said," aaid Mr C Duff. "There is also a good deal of inaccuracy in it." Mr A. it. Bedford rose to a po'mt of order. ■l2 will second Mr Morse's motion," continucci Alr Duff. "In what Mr Morsn iias said there was snme good advorLi?ing J'xum his point of view. For jears we have tried to'keep down the capual expenditure. 1 .see liitle goo-1 iij it. If we have 'tried to save a pound the';' department has insisted on our spending £2. To-day the board has practicaily committed itself to an expenditure of £400 to £500, which in my opinion has been done without proper mquiry. 1 think that' Mr Morse's comment on the Hastings Hospital is uujuslified and unfounded. I agreo that we should keep a tight rein on all expenditure." "Mr Morse knows that while he wai chairman I was fairly liard on all linancial matters," said. Mr S. J. McKee. "I would like to remind him that we have treated all tho staff to increases in salaries. Will he say that that was not justified? We cannot gec a fair statement from figures over nino months only. I would like to see a statement for 1928, 1934 and 1936-37 at the next meeting." Dr. J. A. Berry, in quoting from tho return, eonsidered that the critieism by Mr Duff that Mr Morse's remarks wera just advertising was quite wrong. In Hastings to-day there was a tlieatre block for 40 beds which Was prkcticaljv equal to that at Ihe Napier Hospital for 200 beds, and with all the facilities. The chairman: Not all the facilities by a long way. ' ' It is no use coafcinuing the attitude

of Dr. Berry on what Hastings has ot what Napier has," said Dr. H. M. Wilson. "The Napier Hospital is an pntity and the Hastings Memorial Hospital is also an entity. All this petty quibbling will not get us any where." "The cost of the beds in Hastings is a hardy annual which always comes from the Napier members. An effort is being made to make out that eosts have gone up out of all proportion under my chairmanship," said the chairman. Mr Morse: No. "I might say that I am not at all concerned or worried, ' 5 added the chairman. ,