HOSPITAL ACCOUNTS.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4925, 13 January 1926, Page 3

HOSPITAL ACCOUNTS.

• PAYMENT BY PATIENTS* ' DISCUSSION BY THAMES BOARD. The question of the collection, of outstanding fees for treatment received by patients has been exercising the minds of the members, of the Thames Hospital and Charitable Aid Board for sometime. At its meeting on Monday the secretary (Mr G. Tonge) read a number of fetters received from creditors claiming to be in indigent circumstances and in which thy asked for further time to mee.t their obligations to. the board. These Letters, were in response to the secretary’s endeavours to collect the s<fees from ex-patients, and in some instances in answer to his .threatening to take legal proceedings if the amounts were not paid or otherwise arranged for. During the discussion that ensued ■Mr Da/iby said he thought .that some system of weekly payment by patients should be instituted. It was almost impossible for a man on a fixed wage ■to pay a lump sum, but most workers would be prepared to make a weekly contribution in reduction •df the ■ amount} , The secretary said that he had sent out over 80 accounts since January’ 1 The board was always prepared tot acweekly, payments until the - amount was paid. It was necessary that the board should know where it stood in regard to payment of fees, of patients. Some of the accounts' ha.d been owing for a considerable time, and no effort had been-made by expatients to pay them. It was the people who' owed accounts for a long time, and who would not acknowledge the board’s correspondence or call and interview the secretary and ma t ke arrangements for payment, that the board was “down on.’’ ■ • The chairman (Mr W. E. Hale) •said he thought that the - secretary was working on the right lines and was, doing his utmost to collect or satisfactorily arrange for the payment of fees. It was not the wish of the' hoard to be unduly hard on any cretfit-r-o'c provided they were reasonable, but the position was becoming serious and a definite stand was necessary. Messrs G. Death and ,W. C. Kennedy agreed that the action of the secretaji’y■, should be endorsed Mr Danby said 'that there appeared to be a growing practice for patients to accept treatment without ever giving a thought to payment for the services rendered. When cases of gen■uine hardship or inability .to pay were reported the board'would be found to be sympathetic and only too wißing to meet such cases. Mt Kennedy .thought the board should adopt a firm attitude in the case of a woman receiving treatment while the husband was earning full wages. It was resolved to endorse the ac•Mion of the secretary, and that the chairman and secretary be empowered to deal with the creditors as merited the case.