The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23. NATIONALISE THE HOSPITALS.

Horowhenua Chronicle, 23 July 1913, Page 2

The Chronicle. PUBLISHED DAILY LEVIN. WEDNESDAY, JULY 23. NATIONALISE THE HOSPITALS.

"X .stjckjm; plaster to heal u death wound" is otiered by Dr. Valiiitiiic, Inspector General ot Hospitals, as his remedial method for (he present cost of hospital maintenance. The doctor's suggestion was received at the last meeting of the Wellington Hospital .Board, and in elVect il sel out that all hospitals in the Dominion of .New Zealand should adopt a uniform maintenance fee ui three-guin-eas pei , week. Dr. Yalintine went on to say thai m the cases of those unable to pay, the boards had power to charge persons according to (heir means in necessitous eases, each ease being dealt with on its merits, lie considered the adoption of such a plan would result in increased income, and avoid the necessity for increases in levies on the local bodies. S*u much for the doctor's plaster! ' The, fact remains that (His suggested remedy leaves the main ill untouched. Who pay the hospital dues! - ' (ienerally the men "who least can afford to do so: (lie honest, hand-pushed householder battling against illhealth and bad fortune and resolved on keeping his selfrespect unimpaired. Who fails (o pay? (ienerally the easygoing inperturable person who

"could" pay if he went short of his luxuries, but who never does go short of them." Hospital administration problems have reached a complexity that can be unravelled only by a resolute and revolutionary process. To talk of reducing the per capita expenditure on the liospitals is futile, in the'present flux of surgical and medical advancement and research ; and as for gaining increased revenue from extra charges, that apparently sure and simple process likely would prove ineiVective in actual practice. Tt : s

many years since 1 lit* present writer made his original suggestion that hospitals should lie nationalised, and made free final 1 .who need them, and the cost of the administration and upkeep of these institutions made a charge upon the Consolidated Hovenue. Regarded at firsi with scant toleration, the suggestion has been more tolerantly criticised in recent years; in fact, the Palm erst on Hospital Board officially discussed such a proposal less than twelve mouths ago, when it was suggested that patients' fees lie done away with : but fortunately the mover and seconder of the motion favouring the change found themselves in a minority. But the mere fact ol such a discussion being taken aMhe sitting of such a deliberative body shows that the leaven is working surely, and gives good augury that nationalisation of the hospitals of Xew Zealand will come to puss. Tt should be an advantageous day for the State when the change is made, for healthier bodies of the people must mean an increased earning power for the whole dominion. This is an aspect, of the econ-omic-question that never has been touched upon by the pro and anti commentators, so far as we have noticed, but the aspect is one of great weight. In regard to the purely humanitarian aspect of the case there can be no room for two opinions. On the broad ground, objection lias been made that if hospitals were free many people would take advantage of them who well could afford to pay for private treatment. But probably it would be found in practice

thai the great numbers of people who arc doing so under- the existing system would not be increased if a change in the incidence of taxation were made. The incidence of the present taxation and the present levying of charges acts unfairly: non-beneficiaries arc taxed too heavily, and a too-small percentage of patients pay fees.