HOSPITAL COSTS. .

Shannon News, 17 July 1928, Page 2

HOSPITAL COSTS. .

f COUNTY CHAIRMAN’S REPLY TO CRITICISM. PRESENT METHOD OF REPRESENTATION FAVOURED. y Reference to hospital,administration costs was made at the meeting of the Horowhenua County Council on Saturday. , A copy was received of the Palmerston North Borough Council’s circular to local bodies urging concerted action’ to secure a revision of the whole system of hospital control, and direct representation of local bodies oiV Hospital Boards. The Chairman, Mr G. A. Monk, who is one of the district representatives on the Board, remarked that the Council • had discussed hospital matters a * good deal at different meetings; and he, moved that the communication be received. He added that his own opinion was that only a man with a great deal of courage would endeavour to take away the present democratic system of representation on the Board. The repre- , sentatives were at, present elected bj the direct vote of the people, and not returned by a form of autocratic appointment on the part of local bodies. Although it was true that the money was raised through the latter channel, nevertheless the funds came from the people who elected the representatives to the Board; and he did not see that there was any likelihood in New Zealand of the people losing the present method of representation. It must be’ remembered that 50 per cent, of the mony was contributed by the Consolidated Fund without there being any representation of the Government on the Hospital Boards. If local bodies were to have direct representation because of their contributions, then the,, next * development would have to be the appointment of Government representatives on the Boards, and this the Government would be entitled to claim. The Palmerston Council thought that the question of hospital management should also receive some consideration. f He did not know of any better method under the present Aet than that which wyas -in existence to-day;. Th,e Palmerston hospital had a particularly capable managing secretary in Mr Phillipps, and so long as.this was the ease he did not think tti'a t t r anything further could be done in thiß direction. Seeing that the institution had had to take over 200 patients when, provision had only been made for 140, it seemed that more provision must be made, and this the Board were endeavotfring to do.

Cr. Catley, another of the Board » members, expressed the opinion that the Palmerston Council had nothing to complain about in regard to the administration of the hospital. The cost of sustenance of patients and staff was amazingly low, aiid if it were any less ; one would wonder how they could live. It amounted to £2O 4s per head per annum, or Is Id a day. This was sufficient to show that there could not be any w r aste there. The cost to Palmerston per patient per annum was £4 2s 9d, while to Horowhenua it was , £26 3s.

Cr. McLeavey asked what became of the balance of the money if the cost per head was only Is Id a day. Cr. Catley replied that it was spent mainly on building and wages. Some- / body had wanted to know whether the / hospital farm had oeen run at a profit or. a loss. The balance sheet showed that it had made a profit of, £345, Cr. Catley added that members of the contributing local bodies’would do well to # make themselves acquainted with the* facts by perusing the annual report and balance sheet. ' The chairman said he had been in- ’ strumental in having the report sent out, but it had not achieved what he had .hoped. There was still the criticism. It would pay any member of a , contributing local body to obtain the report from the clerk of thaf local body, take it home, and. go through it ’ carefully. In reference to hospitals generally, it did appear to those who had not full knowledge of their inner working that they were expensive. It must be taken into consideration, however, that a healthy man was worth any number of sick men. It was the object 1 of any Hospital Board to make people well as quickly as possible, and with the best methods available. The motion to receive the circular was seconded by Cr. llilsby, and was carried.