THE HOSPITALS

Hokitika Guardian, 12 April 1928, Page 2

THE HOSPITALS

HONOR AMY STAFFS. DR. VALINTFNE’S OPINION. WELLINGTON. April 10. The system of maintaining honorary stalls at public hospitals is condemned in very plain language hv a survey of the field issued by the Health Department in its appendix to the annual report on health matters in t he Dominion. The New Zealand hospital system having evolved from a now obsolete voluntary system under which the hospitals depended upon voluntary relief tmd services and donations from the charitably disposed, it follows that there should he relics of these days, states the report. Amongst those which linger is the system of maintaining an honorary staff in many hospitals. especially in tile larger centres. The Director-General of Health, however. expresses his opinion that the time has come for the abolition of the honorary staff, and that, as hospitals are open to all. it is not right to expect the services of the medical profes-

sion in an honorary capacity. “ It is difficult to see what other eonelusion co.uld have been come to,’’ continues the report. 11 The honorary system is suitable only for hospitals treating pauper patients, and it is not to he expected that the medical profession should give their services tree unless some quid pro quo in the form of a voice n hospital policy and administration were given them. The engagement of any other class of employee on such an understanding, however. would he absurd and unbusinessliek, and it seems just as unbusinesslie in the case of the medical staff. "The British Medical Association appears to favour the open hospital system. They lire apparently prepared to continue to give their services free in the public wards provided that the Hospital Boards will erect private wards where they can treat their private patients. The tendency of- the Boards appears to he opposed to this suggestion, and they appear generally to favour the closed hospital. . .

The Department itself admits the logic of the payment of the medical staff, and has not signified its concurrence with tTif open system,”