THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1920. HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND FEES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 2 June 1920, Page 2

THE OTAKI MAIL. Published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 1920. HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND FEES.

Among the ;:ssuy importanr issues to come up for diseiissk>R at the cghj ferencc of Hospital 2nd Cfcamat-le Aid Boards, now being held at "Wellington. ! wa« the question of .maintenance fee? | for patients and also that regarding i who should be adiaiiste/I to the Tmbll*hospitals. In hie opening address the Inspector-General of Hospital (hr. \ ; Valiatine) made .some interest inn re- j. | Taiirk* respect to the main ten a nee j 1 foe? in hosuitaiss. These, he said, were | ! generally far too low, and iui believed they should have a fee of not than £3 or per week. It was much easier to reduce the maintenance fees than increase and if a patient was not

financially able to pay the full fee. or even part of it. lie should not be worried. Dr. Valiutine’s contentions in this matter are in accord with the opinions of this journal as expressed on several occasions. Some hospitals charge a ridiculously low fee to patien t'-. For instance our own Board (Palmerston Xorth) charges only 2-1 s per week, though the actual cost of maintenance is somewhere in the neighbourhood of 555. As the Inspec-tor-General points out. those who cannot afford the full fee could pay according to their means, or may be allowed free treatment, but those win* can afford it should pay a fee somewhere in keeping with the cost. Dr. A'alintine also made sm important statement in his address touching treatment of better class people, lie said: “At present the better-to-do patient was badly circumstanced. as lie could not secure treatment in the local hospital, but had perforce to go (o a private institution. Personally he believed that hospital accommodation of the very best should

be available for all classes oi' the community, and those v.'liu were able to pay should be made to pay a full fee for the benefits they received from our institutions. ” This is an -important statement, coming from such a personage as the Inspcctor-Uenoral of Hospitals. Dr. -Valintine has placed liis linger on a serious defect in our hospital system, which makes it extremely hard for the man of moderate means. The admission of the great bulk of patients to our public hospitals is do--1 tenanted by the doctors, who, though a magnificent lot of men on the whole.

are only human, nml naturally hesitate to place in the publie hospital a patient whom they can retain as a good client if placed in a private institution. Tint many people are forced to pay lienee fees for private nursing, in addition it doctor’s fees, when, we contend, the; have a perfect right to enter Uio p«bli< hospitals and there pay the much lowet rates obtaining. If the public hosjtita fees were rtiisod litis would parth overcome the present objection tt allowing this class of people to entei these institutions. We notice that at the Canterbury Hospital Hoard meet iug las), week the chairman of that body said it was intended to erect another hospital on the same lines a the present hospital, but every patient in it would pay all charges and all cos; , This proposal, he said, was in the air but would be brought down this year. In discussing the matter, it was sue gested that the fees should be increased from (is to Its per day, and a motion was carried recommending an i increase in patients’ fees. The pro postil to erect another hospital fm j better-to-do patients would, in out | opinion, be a great mistake, as if wotii<! | engender class feeling, and render tin j present hospitals little better that ; charitable institutions. Ur. Yalintim-V i suggestion of increased fees tor iho.-t j able tn pay them is a far better id,j and we look forward to -onm such ins. posal being eariicd into effect.