HOSPITAL FINANCES

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVIII, Issue 42, 18 January 1938, Page 9

HOSPITAL FINANCES

EXPENDITURE OVER ESTIMATE. SECRETARY’S REPORT. “The financial statement shows that the maintenance at the Palmerston North Hospital for the first nine months of the financial j«ir has cost £45,515 as against the estimate of £39,G00, and the actual payments for the corresponding period last year were £36,292,” stated the managingsecretary (Mr A. J. Pliillipps) in a report ;he submitted to the monthly meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board yesterday. “The following sets out the various sub-heads under which this expenditure has been incurred, the figures in parentheses being the proportionate estimate: Provisions, £4959 (£4875); surgery and dispensary, £4653 (£3637); domestic and establishment. repairs and renewals, . including fuel and light and maintenance and staff wages, £11,874 (£0563); general salaries and wages, £22,392 (£20,513); grounds, including gardeners’ wages, £1194 (£825); miscellaneous, £443 (£187). “The increases in the expenditure, it will be seen, are in the items, salaries and wages and domestic and establishment,” the report added. “Further examination of the details shows that approximately £4OOO of the increase over and above the estimates is due to increases in salaries and wages. One thousand pounds is due to heavier expenditure in relation to surgery and the dispensary, but this is not necessarily all an increase as against last year’s expenditure, as our stocks are _ considerably higher at the present time than at the corresponding period last year. Of course, this year we have been doing a very considerable amount_ of maintenance repairs, including painting. asphalting, etc., which has been held over from previous years and this largelv accounts for the increase under the heading of domestic and establishment.” PATIENTS PAYMENTS.

In reading the report the chairman (Mr J. A. Nash) said that the only heartening thing about it was an increase in the patients’ payments. The estimate had been £10,500 and the actual payments £10,720, as against £9908 for the corresponding nine months of the last financial year. Mr J. Boyce said the patients’ fees were not rising in proportion with other items. There must be a lot of people not paying their accounts. The managing-secretary said that the numbers in hospital were not increasing, for that figure had been practically stationary for the past two years.. The chairman explained that a very thorough investigation was given the accounts in regard to patients’ payments. In regard to Palmerston North there was a committee the members of which knew the financial circumstances of persons in the city, and in addition to enquiries made by members of the board’s staff the members of the committee were able to give an indication of who could pay and who could not. The same position obtained in regard to Otaki and other parts or the district where there were special committees. ~ The staff did their best, said Mr Boyce. He was not criticising the start. Some people were looking on the Hospital as a free institution and would not pay. There were dozens who owed money to the Hospital and were to be seen on the racecourses, going to the beaches and going.to the pictures., it was becoming quite the usual thing, particularly among ratepayers, to look upon the hospital account as not requiring payment. They heard of others not having to pay and having their accounts written off, and they said al.so that as they paid so heavily in rate# they should not be called on to pay th Mr b J.' Hodgens, M.P., referring to the town dwellers, said that of recent years many had been forced to go without necessaries in the home linei . furniture and so on— and it they had a little surplus now to spend in ulia were more prosperous times, who noul begrudge them that? )Vhat lie would draw tbe attention of the board t was the fact that the patients payments at the Otaki Sanatorium nere d °fi Mr Hoto that as the fees were guaranteed, and as they had recently been increased, while there were now more beds, the Otaki Sanatorium account “ souare bv the end of the year, inat wLs actually the least of the board s Co me lit was made by Mr G. A. Monk that all local bodies found, themselves in the position of budgeting for an expenditure of so much money and then finding new awards coming into effect within the year under winch higher wages had to be paid. Jhe board had only just entered this financial year when increased costs had come, with the result that that in crease had to be carried for practically the whole year. He thought the local bodies might reasonably be allowed a halt in the rising costs so that they would know just where tnev stood. Mr F J Ryder said that the whole of' the working class and the natives were slipping in connection with the payment of Hospital accounts. I When he had gone to Otaki 50 years a"o every native had something laid by for a rainy day, but now one, could not collect so much as a sack ot potatoes from them at the end of the autumn. They expected to go to the Post Office and collect their money there. In two days that was all gone. Thev had no idea of saving, the Prime Minister had said they did not need The chairman; Please do not introduce politics here. .. Mr Ryder, continuing, said there would be no farming carried on soon with such high wages being paid elsewhere. The farmers would leave thenland to work for wages. “ The managing-secretary commented that the whole of the trouble might be cancelled in two. months by the operation of the national health insurance scheme, under which the patients payments fees would he guaranteed. The discussion was not earned further.