WHAT PATIENTS SHALL PAY

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 29, 27 February 1909, Page 5

WHAT PATIENTS SHALL PAY

HOSPITAL CONFERENCE IN STRATFORD. A eonferneec was held yesterday in the Stratford Muncipal Chambers of delegates representing the three Hospital .Boards iu Taranaki. The delegates present were Messrs. F C. Bellringer (chairman) and C. M. Lepper (secretaryl. ol the Taranaki Board; Messrs. H. W. Sutton (chairman) and J. Marx, Hawera; and Messrs. P. F. Ralfe (chairman), u. \ Marchant, and T. 11. Penn (seere-, tary), Stratford. Mr P. F- Ralfe was) voted to the chair, and Mr. Penn acted as secretary to the conference. Dr. I Valintiue, Inspector-General of Hospi-' tals, was present by invitation of tue Boards. The conference had been called to consider the Hawera Hospital Board's suggestion to revert to the old system of charging only 4s per day for maintenance in the hospitals, thus revoking the decision of the recent conference at Ha- ( wera to raise the charge to Cs per diem.; The matter was introduced by Mr.. Sutton, who said that since the raising' of the tariff there had been a fallingoil in the number of patients admitted to the hospital at Hawera. There were people who could and would pay 4s a day, but who could not afford (is a day, anil, sooner than ask for a reduction and thus come under the designation of paupers, went to private hospitals. Personally, he did not think six shillings too much, but they had to consider the people in their own district. He did not think his Board had suffered financially. Mr. Bellringer said tie Taranaki Board had been surprised to hear of Hawera's decision to re-open the subject. For his own part he could not see that too much was being charged. Mr. Sutton had really supported the increased charge, and he had stated that so far there had been no financial loss. As yet, however, the system had not been given a sufficient trial to warrant a reversion to the lower tariff. These institutions should be run » the interests of the ratepayers', and members' own private opinions should not be too prominently obtruded. As for people refusing •<V~4o go into the hospital, lest they be branded as paupers, he considered that every person who accepted treatment at 4s a day that cost the Board 6s a day was receiving a donation from the hospital authorities. Mr. Sutton, in a personal explanation, said that the number of patients had fallen off considerably since the increase of the charges, people preferring to be treated in their own homes. Again, if a patient paid the fee demanded by the Board there was no charitable donation about it, whether the charge covered the cost of maintenance or not. Mr. Sutton moved in the direction of reverting to the 4s tariff. Mr. Marx seconded, and urged the delegates to consider the good of the whole community, by wnom the hospitals were maintained. They should aim to establish a fairly remunerative system of charges all round. If the, tariff were made unduly high, concessions had to be given, which set up a differentiating line amongst the people. No member of the community paying taxes and rates could be held to be a recipient of charitable aid In taking advantage of the institutions provided out of the public purse. While the previous charge might have been low, nis own idea was that six shillings a day was too high. Dr. Valintine said that no doubt much could be said on both sides. He hoped that the three Boards would adhere to the decision arrived at in the conference at Wellington, where a certain agreement was arrived at to obviate the formjag of the three districts into one, as {provided in the draft Hospital Bill. It had been said that the Hawera Hospital Board had suffered on account of the increased fee, but New Plymouth and Stratford had suffered no diminution in the number of applications for admission; rather the contrary. The question arose, was this the only reason for the diminution in the number of pati- ' ents at Hawera? Referring to the increased cost of hospital maintenance, ' which cost £210,000 for the Dominion ! last-year, he said that the tariff in an ordinary boarding-house was as high as the hospital charges, but the latter had faot only to pay for the patients'-meals, [ washing, and so on, but also for medical and nursing attendance, medicine, and dressings. He regretted that this back- ; .ward step was being urged in the most thriving district of the Dominion in one of its best years. Mr. Sutton had quot- [ ed a case of a man leaving the public hospital and going to a private hospital. .That was no argument; it showed the man could pay the higher tariff. Six shillings a day was a reasonable fee, and at wns better to be a little high than too low, for the scale was a sliding one according to the patients' means. People who could pay the high fee should forced to do so, certainly to the level of the cost of maintenance. The only .way to do this wns to tix the charge at 'tha't standard. Hawera's cost was 8s a day, yet they proposed to treat patients'for half that amount. Mr. Marx explained that llawera would not alter the tariff unless the other Boards did likewise. Mr. Marchant urged a longer trial of the higher tariff, and said that six saillings a day was little enough for the treatment given, especially as the Board always met patients who could not paythe full tariff. The Chairman said there had been no complaints at Stratford. Mr. Sutton, replying, said he was not greatly in favour of the reduction. He tad been at first, but since then lie had gone closely into the matter, and he now thought the 0s reasonable enough, especially in the case of Hawera. He believed in the right of every man to enter ihe public hospital. He referred to the very keen interest and fair-mindedness Hisplayed by Dr. Valintine, the InspeetoiGeneral of' Hospitals, in regard to the ihospitals. Hawera was now being moTe justly treated than previously. Personally he was prepared to give the system of charging 0s a day a full twelvemonths' trial. If at the end of that :time they found the charge was acting detrimentallv to the Hawera hospital, they could meet the other Boards in conlerencc again. Mr. Marchant moved an amendment that the conference defer coming to a decision upon this matter, and that it will be open for any of the three Boards to a"ain discuss the matter in conference "at any time not earlier than twelve '"The inotion was withdrawn, and the J amendment carried. i