HOSPITAL FEES.

Shannon News, 27 August 1926, Page 4

HOSPITAL FEES.

MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS’ CHARGES. The questioi of medical charges ior at'ration on patients in public hospitals was raised in the House of Representatives bv the Leader of the Opposition (Mr. H. E. Hollaifd), who drew the attention of the Minister of Health to a ease where a patient received an account from a hospital committee as well as one from one of the He asked the Minister whether that practice was pcrmissablc under the Jaw, whether it was -a of which his Department approved, and whether it did not come close to the private ward system. / In reply, the Hon. J. A. Young ,said he understood that a patient received an account from a hospital board for treatment, and in addition an account from a private practitioner for service he Avas alleged to have rendered the patient in hospital, although he had not been engaged by the patient. From AA’hat he could gather at short notice, if the hospital by-huvs permitted this it Avould be quite correct. During a brief visit to some of the hospitals in the country districts prior to the session he found that in at least, one hospital, on account of the system Avhich enabled private practitioners to charge fees in that Avay, the hospital Avas practically empty. In his opinion that was an illustration of the so-called American community hospital system applied to a small country hospital. Generally speaking, ho Avas not in favour of the system, but there might be special reasons for it. If there were no private hospital in the locality and only one small public hospital, it might be justified in the case of people Avho were able to pay. He promised to make further inquiries.