HOSPITAL PATIENTS.

Pukekohe & Waiuku Times, Volume 3, Issue 223, 21 August 1914, Page 3

HOSPITAL PATIENTS.

Who Are Eligible?

At a recent meetirg of the Franklin County Council the opinion was freely expressed that this district was being bled for the benefit of Auckland, by means of the Hospital and Charitable Aid rate. It was pointed out that not only do the people of this district pay their rates regularly, but there is seldom any draft frcm here upon charitable aid, whilst patients who eo from this district to the Auckland hospital always have to pay. This matter of the use of the Auckland hospital by vrell-todo peopl? was referred to at a recent meeting of the Hospital Board. A letter was received from one of the honorary visiting surgeons (Mr G. Gore Gillor) as follows: "Thre? wieks ago a very old man, a farmer, was admitted to this hospital, and was ODerated cn by me successfully for a chronic abdominal disease. He came frcm cutside the Auckland district. Now, this msn was worth £20,000 at the time. Out of numerous other cases I shall mentim those that follcw. Quite recently a farmer from Taranaki (also, you will obsewe, from outside cur hosoital district) came into a private hospital here to be operated ucon by ma for a similar cornplaint. Wheu I called the next day to arrange for the operation I found he had leR On the following day I discovered he had been admitted utider my C 313 in the public hospital. I operated on him, and cured him, and he rsturned to Taianaki, where he is the owner of POO acres of good land."

Mr P. J. Nerheny said that he rid not sea the witdom of allowing the opinion to be formed that the Auckland hospital was a place for pauper patients only. People who came along for treatment and were able to pay should r.ot be turned away because they happrned to hold properly. The medical superintendent, Dr C. E. Magu're, said that the practice was to admit those who applied for admission whether they held medical certificates or not.

Mr P. M. Mackay: If I had my way I would treat everybody free. When such a large amount comcß out of consolidated revenue for hospital upkeep anybody who has a mind to should b3 allowed t) enter the hospital for treatment. Mr Wallace questioned the practicability of running the hospital under such a system. Dr Florence Keller faid that if they were going to admit patients from all quarters of the globe, how was it that when a poor patient who was sent by a doctor to the Charitable Aid Institution was turned away if he did rot happen to belong to the Auckland hospital district. If they were going to open their doors so wide in Ihe one instance, they would have to do so in the other. Mr M. .1. Cnyle raid that the medical superintendent had had to refuse admission to patients because the institution was full. Was it f3ir, he'asked, that this should occur while beds were occupied ly men worth up to £20,000? It wai unanimously decided to refer the letter It the Horpital Committee for consideration.