HOSPITAL FINANCE

Marlborough Express, Volume LXXVI, Issue 245, 17 October 1942, Page 2

HOSPITAL FINANCE

SOCIAL SECURITY PAYMENTS. COUNTY PRESSING FOR INCREASE. Increases in hospital rates are far from peculiar to Marlborough. At its meeting yesterday the Marlborough County Council had two letters on the subject. One from the Auckland Suburban Local Bodies' Association said that the Auckland Hospital Board's costs had gone up £80,000 last year. The other from the Waikato Hospital Board asked support for a proposal to induce the Minister for Health to grant greater payment for patients from Social Security funds. The extra number of patients due to Social Security had meant increased burdens on the rural community, the letter stated, and asked why all forms of investment except in land should eseape contribution to hospital costs. In moving that representations be made to the Minister for increased Social Security payments for hospital patients, Cr. A. H. Nees said that every patient received now represented a definite loss. Hospital Boards should be interested in the sources of their revenue, for if those sources — ratepayers' payments — dried up there would be difflculties. He thought the Hospital Board in telling the Blenheim Farmers' Union to seek an increase in Social Security payments had done wisely. Much of the urban rating was on business and industry. If hospital rates went up, these people could pass on their costs. The farmer working on fixed prices could not do this. His rates just had to make inroads on his living. Seconding, Cr. R. J. Cresswell said a change was long overdue. Hospital Boards should have to collect their own funds. Now if coun'ty ratepayers could not pay, it was still a liability of the council. The Chairman: While the war is on there is not a great chance of a change. We need the co-operation of all local bodies including Hospital Boards to secure needed changes. We have an up-to-date hospital system, but the system of taxation and finance is 50 years behind the times. I was pleased to see the Hospital Board's attitude to the Farmers' Union. It looks as if they have seen the unwisdom of their former position and are now willing* to cooperate. We need that co-operation to modernise their taxation system and we will co-operate with them. The motion to press for an increase of Social Security payments to Hospital Boards was carried without dissent.