HOSPITAL CONFERENCE.

Shannon News, 8 February 1929, Page 4

HOSPITAL CONFERENCE.

REMITS POR CONSIDERATION.

A WIDE RANGE.

The executive committee of the Hospital Boards' Association met last week, those present being Messrs W. Wallace, Auckland ( in the chair); F. Castle, Wellington; F. Gillanders, Hawera; W. E. S. Knight, Otago; J. Matheson, Southland; J. H. McCarroll, Kaipara; Hon. W. H. Mclntyre, M.L.C.J Buller; H. J, Otley, Canterbury. Arrangements for the forthcoming general conference, to be held at Pai-. merston North on March 12th, formed an important part of the business, a considerable number of remits being received from hospital boards. Amongst the matters to go before the conference will be the question of patients' fees charges, a recommendation having been made that there should be a uniform increase in all generai hospitals to 12s per day for adult patients, the prevailing rate at present being 9s. The question , of Government subsidies is also to be discussed, one remit which is to go before the conference urging the revision of the present scale of subsidies, so that the rates shall not depend so much on relative capital values. On the other hand, there is a remit that proposes: "That for the poorer boards, subsidies on levies for maintenance purposes be increased to 30s per £l," the present maximum being 265. Another proposal contained in a remit is that the rate of subsidy on voluntary contributions should be increased to 25s per s&l. For many years the rate was 24s in the £l, but in the Act of 1923 the rate was altered to 20s.

The question of hospital taxation generally will doubtless receive special attention as a result of various remits, one proposal being that the amusement tax should be extended, the proceeds to be devoted to hospital purposes, whilst another requests the conference to consider the question of taxation for hospital purposes, with a view to arriving at a means for apportioning the Luiden between town and country districts m proportion to the population served. The practicability of promoting a scheme of free hospital treatment of wage earners, the cost to be met by a compulsory levy on wages, is also to be inquired into, if a remit to that effecft is passed by the conference. Two remits will go before the conference in regard to the question of relieving hospital boards who have a large proportion of natives resident within their district, such districts being under a special burden owing to the difficulty of collecting hospital fees, and also the difficulty in collecting rates. An important provision of the Hospitals Act is contained' in Section 92, which defines the rights of a hospital board to be reimbursed for relief granted .to persons who are domiciled in other districts, or who have only recently moved to the district giving the relief. At one time the hospital board could recover the cost of such relief from the board of the district in which the person had resided for a certain time, but with the passing, of the Act of 1925 the right to reimbursement applies only as between boards of contiguous districts. It is contended that this limitation creates anomalies. There is a proposal to go before the conference that the same provisions should apply to non-contiguous districts as to contiguous districts. iSome other matters which are the subject of remits are the question of hospital fees of industrial and motor accident cases; medical staffing of small country hospitals; training of midwives; the training of nurses in administering anaesthetics; collection of hospital fees; remuneration of prisoners with dependants; hospital board borrowing facilities.