HOSPITAL MAINTENANCE FEES.

Otaki Mail, Volume XXVIII, 16 August 1920, Page 4

HOSPITAL MAINTENANCE FEES.

TO ES INCREASED AT END OF \ FINANCIAL YEAR. \ Jk Recently the Palmerston North Hos- ™ pital arid CHaritablo Aid Board passed a resolution authorising a committee to go into thts matter of increasing the maintenance fees for patients receiving treatment at (lie local hospital. The committee eventually reported that the present fee of 3s lid a day for all patients should he increased to lis per day for patients with no children, •"is per day for patients with one or two children, 4s per day for patients with three children and over, and 4s a da; for children up to 1-1 years of age. In moving the adoption of the reconi mendations at yesterday morning's meeting of the Hospital Board. JMr 3. VV. Bratnwell (Feilding) stated tl.ai the general increases in'the prices of every commodity had made it impossible to maintain a patient at less than «)s -Id a day. He considered that « greni number of people received treatment al the institution who were prepaied to pay the increased charges, and it was reasonable thai such' people should not be treated at a rate s 0 small as .".s <sd a day when the cost of maintenance was considered. Mr I'i'iiii (Otaki) seconded the tuol ion. Dr. Whitaker opposed the proposal. Mrs Gill and the speaker represented 15,000 out of tilf ' -t'I.OOO people con c-rned in the district. tf (lie representatives of a third of the people in the "V hospital district objected lie did nor see | thai the motion should.be passed. J„ | rhis year to increase the rates. One I ..i' the worst features in the hospital'f j marie Uml they should all be paid there | -,vm:!d be no trouble. | M ■ .i. YV. Bratnwfll: We have to j , sent rate. j Dr. V.'bilaker raise.i the point of the j legitimacy of raisin-- the rate during, » the middle of I lie financial year. • ! Mr i'enn: As!; the chairman to J.i\e his ruling. The Chairman: It would be better to r defer the whole thing until the end of the year. Mr .Moody suggested that the motion I should be altered to make its effect operative from the"commencement of f the next financial year. i Mr Bramwell supported the suggestion, and this course was agreed to.— (The Hospital Hoard's financial year concludes on March 31). Mr J. K. llornblow (Foxton) said he was not against the increase, but he, thought they should wait until they : hail had an opportunity of reading the report of the Hospital Conference'-. " deliberations on this matter. I Mr W. C. I'cnrcr (Feilding) con I ; side.red that it "as n poor proposition S j in suggest lhat some people should be j ■ let off free and the extra money to be j ' got out of others. Personally, he prej j leired the Japanese idea that those "Si people who were well should provide I j Mr Rrntnwcll: The hospital should -' ai " M r .T. I!. Vincent asked what posi- " | i lion the hospital would be in if i; he •"' | came a free institution. Would the | j Mrs Gill: They would .... the voluii- | I Tlip Chairman: In these davs the i\ voluntary contributions are seriously | Continuing. Mr Vincent said that I ! the increase proposed, amounting to j ; only lid a day extra, could not lie conjj j s'ofered .an undue impost when it was K j borne in mind that the f< es at present I i collected amounted only to an average f. ! of 2s 2d a day and the cost of main V . tenance per patient was 0s )d. In any Z. i case the Hospital Board had to wipe » i off hundreds of pounds a year for un ,-? I paid fees—fees which could not be colli j lotted and which the Board realise.! -?j ' should not be demanded. The scale of U\ i to the family responsibilities of the liiJ I legislation would some day be enacted 2>| j Mr llornblow stated that he hoped Yi\ ' to provide for free treatment in the if] j hospitals for poor people, and for thrill j provision of accommodation for people s'j who could afford to pay in a separate %'t j portion where they could have their §S own medical attendants. Si The Chairman said that if .-uch was 5! ever proposed he would enter an em--5] phatic protest against it. Poor people II would naturally feel slighted und»r gj such conditions and would object to §} going into trie place at all. 5§ 1 I The motion was then put to the ! I meeting and carried. The- new- scale of sk I charges will accordingly come into - I operation on April 1 of next year. S 3; i n» ■ ■ nni i.» 11