A HOSPITAL DIFFICULTY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVIII, Issue 81918, 19 February 1907, Page 3

A HOSPITAL DIFFICULTY

PATIENTS' PREFERENCE FOR SEW

PLYMOUTH

« "J won't go to llawera." Among the many flattering testimonials to the excellent management and eilicieney of tile New Plymouth liospital, and the kindness and skill of the medical and nursing stall', perhajis the greatest is the fact that patients from other districts are continually applying for aUinission, preferring it to their own local institution. This matter lias frequently been mentioned before, and was revived on Holiday, when the New Plymouth Hospital Board received a letter from the Secretary of the llawera lioard concerning an account, rendered for maintenance in the local institution of several patients from the llawera district. The amount in question was C4O. When tin! letter was road, Jlr Tisch sugested deferring consideration as a deputation from the llawera Board would attend in connection witli 'the matter. Mr Parker said it would be as wcil to discuss the matter before the arrival of the deputation, and decided on some course of action. The Chairman exjilained that the Board charged six shillings a day to patients from outside districts. * The usual jiraclioc was for the secretary to endeavour to colled the fees ilue,'nnd in some cases lie was successful. But, i't was not necessary for this lioard to exhaust nil its remedies before arriving for pnyment from the Board in whose district the patient resided, lie mentioned that llw Hoard bad refused (against his wish) to grant; any reduction to the Stratford Board, 'even when they bad no hospital, so he could hardly see how the Board could reduce the claim against llawera, which had a hosjiital of its own and levied only a seven-penny rate, whilst this Board collected ninejienee. Of course, the trouble was that New Plymouth had such a good hospital, with splendid equipment, staff and medical attendance, that people preferred it to iiuy other, and when they haled from the llawera district and wore told to go to their own institution Ihev refused.

Mr Burgess said ihe New Plymouth Hosjiital had earned a reputation as one of the be.-l. He was ojiposcd to making reductions in charges to outside patient's, which really meant saddling increased expense on the ratepayers.

The deputation comprised Messrs H. W. Sutton, chairman of the llawera Hospital Board, and Messrs Jas. Boddie and J. Marx, t wo of its members. Mr Boddie said that unfortunately this matter was not a new one by any means. At the outset he wished to frankly acknowledge the very generous manner in which the New Plymouth Board had always treated tlieut in the past, but so far as his Board was concerned, this matter of the llawera jiatients coming to Hie New Plymouth llsjiital was still a very serious one. There were times, of course, when in the intere.sts of humanity' these pa.tlenfs must be treated here, but viie majority could be just as conveniently ami just as well treated in their own hosjiital. The amount jmid by tlie I southern board for hosjiital liiiiiu'en-■ iinoj! here was U2lis 10s since the separation, exclusive of the £IOO whicli ! had been franked at the final settlement. Reckoning the fees which Jlr ' l.ejijier was unable to collect the figures

were stilt bigger. If such a, thing were jiossible lie would like to see regulalions framed, or some instruction's triven to ■Hie doctors, which would stop this leakage. The llawera Board, of course, was responsible for the. payment of fees incurred here by patients from its district, but was unable to

collect them; go that they wore likely to sull'er considerably. Jlv Sutton said the serious aspect was not altogether what bad to be paid to tile New Plymouth Board, but the money actually lost was the consideration which prompi ■! : ■ Tin- llawara f lusjr' ' equipped, and had a la, . . ..; eat excellent medical al tendance, full', able to treat all these eases. Im.lcad of that each ca.se cost the Hoard six shillings a .lay for ircalinenl at Xew l'lymniitji I The Hoard was Irving to wort ceonomicallv. in the interests uf the ratepayers, and (his leakage was a heavy ilnifr, for t-liore was an immense amount on the books for patients treated at Xew Plymouth, paid for by

the 1 lawera Hoard, which bad been unable to collect the fees. It mis not IVr of course, to ask the local Hoard i to sue for the amounts when it, bad rinlv to apply for payment to llu'vcra. Ile'knew Mr l.epp.-i- did his best to col-

let the niiiouius. Mr Marx emphasised the loss to tin llewera Hoar I,' exclusive of the ,C2«S His paid by them. Mr Ti.-ch. chairman, detailed the

-tcps taken locally to prevent any hipital, local bodies and doctors having ],.,,„ fivelv eireulari-cd. 11.- liienlion-

who was refused admission last Hay. lie went to the llawera hospital for

six months, ami htl-T on applied again for ailmi--ion. (in this occasion lie ] was in -ui-b a i-miiUirni that he hail to ; be adiniltel. S'Veral patients from! the Havera district had been refused. and the Hoard had no wish to receive lheni. far each patient represented an :I ~m,i; b.>- "f ■;»» -hilliii-rs a day. Jlr •I'iseh menlioneil that I !,e oilier day

the Mew l'lvmm,'.!. Hoard had had to pay IMS Ks for treatment of a locai until in the Auckland hospital. Concludins. he said lilial though fasl disappearing' there was undoubtedly a prejudice against the Ilawtera Hospital,

and people refused to go t' ll ' l ' o . ev<;n when it was their own hospital. ilr Sutton: You're losing money, as iiiv we. If a person is going ° ll L ' il ' u ' - ity, why should he ehoose his own hospital, ni*l one out of the district? Unworn had a hospital equal to that oi any town of its size. I

Mr Boddie re-iterated that Mr Lep jut, the New Plymouth Hoard's secretary, did wlia,t he could to collect i.h< fei's from the patients themselves, Mr Lcjijier said that in some canes peojile ab-oluleiy declined to go 'o 11,wera institution.

Mr Parker said it appeared to him that an amendment of the law was (necessary, so that the llawera Board or any other similarly situated, could recover these, fees. Ratepayers were being mad'.- i:o paiy heavily foil' tin luainleiiance o! people who did not i. tend to |>ay the hosp till fees. Mr Burgess said that during liis term as a member, the policy of the New Plymouth board had been to discourage the admission of outside p:i----t cuts, simply because, tliier admission meant an actual loss

It was decided to again write to the New Plymouth miMieal practitioners, asking lli"ui to when.' jiossihle, send jialvuts to hosjvtals in the districts to which they belong