WAIHI HOSPITAL CASES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5289, 20 June 1928, Page 3

WAIHI HOSPITAL CASES

FEES FOR OUTSIDE PATIENTS. ARRANGEMENT UNALTERED. ■ Last month .a deputation from the Thames. Hospital Board, headed by the chairman (Mr W. E. Hale), waited on the Waihi board with the object of arriving at some arrangement in regard to the charges levied by the Waihi board for treatment of urgent cases from the Thames district in the Waihi HospitaJ. The Thames delegates contended that the existing charges were excessive, but the Waihi board at the conference decided to defer consideration until a later date, and the matter came up for. discus' 1 sion at last week’s meeting (says the “Telegraph”). Mr B. Pascoe opened the proceedings by remarking that the Thames board members had come to Waih'i on a wild goose chase, to try and drain a little more out of Waihi. He contended that Thames should in such cases pay the actual cost of occupied beds, no matter what it might be. Mrs S. F. Williams thought that it would certainly not be fair for the board to charge less to outsiders than to its o.wh people. Mr S. H. Brown then* moved that the present arrangement with Thames stand, and. that both doctors be asked to “tighten up things.” METHODS CRITICISED. Mr Brown said he was getting tired of the unbusinesslike methods of the board, and if they continued, then he would get off. Members talked about urgent cases, and earlier in the evening, when dealing with accounts, a number had been referred to as ur gent, but none of them had been notified to the Thames board as urgent. Things like these were going on under their very noses, yet no notice was taken of them. Thames had complained, but still nlo notice was taken. Mrs Williams pointed out that £l4B, the amount lost on outside patients last year, was not a large sum. Mr Brown: It is in our present circumstances. Mr McFarlane then asked Mr, Brown what he meant by "tightening up,” and Mr Robinson sajd he tp'ok it that the intention was that no cases should be admitted from outside, a view w<ith which Mr Brown was not in agreement. The chairman (Mr Slevin), quoting from a list of Outside patients’ fees, said that the sum of £9l 3s 8d appearing thereon could be regarded as collectable, and thus was to the advantage of the hospital. This “tightening up” meant inhumanity, and 'if inhumanity was carried to the extent of turning patients away from their own doors and sending them to Thames, then he would not continue to sit on the board. Mr Brown (to the chairman) : You take tilings up wrongly. It is absolute nonsense to talk the- way you- are doing. Mrs Wl'lliams said that it appeared as if Thames was greedy. The Waihi Hospital was a public institution for anyone to enter, and they (the board) were the servants of the public in the first’ place and of the- Government secondly. THE ONLY SOLUTION. Mr McFarlane considered that the only solution of the problem lay in the extension of the Waihi district. Mr Robinson thought that even if the.portions of the Ohihe.muri County the board wanted were included in the Waihi area it would still mean th a t the Borough Council would have to pay £l5OO a year towards hospital maintenance. Mr Brown contended that things could be “tightened up,” and appealed to members to look at matters, from a broader and more commoru-senSe Viewpoint. Mr Robinson said that the Thames deputation had only been able to find two cases to which objection could be taken as not coming under the heading of urgent, one of Ahem was a case in which a child had been ipi the Waih'i’ Hospital two days. It was merely “eye wash” to object to such a case. The object of the Thames board was '£o try and get the Waihi board to accept a lump sum per annum for the treatment of all cases from Thames. Personally he would like to meet Thames ;as far as possible in the matter, but the board was not in a position to do so. He could not support any alteration of the present arrangement. Mr Brown’s motion having lapsed for want of a seconder, Mr Robinson moved that whilst wishing to meet Thames in the matter, yet through ‘ the present unfortunate position the ■gfaihi Board could not see its way to alter the existing arrangement. The motion was seconded and carried unanimously.