NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, 15 April 1916, Page 3

NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

CHARGE OX LOCAL BODIES,

A FURTHER INCREASE* Some matters concerning the New Plymouth hospital were discussed at a meeting of the Egmont County Council yesterday. In regard to the recent complaints of the Council at the refusal of the New Plymouth hospital authorities to admit a ease from Opunake, 'a letter was read from the Taranaki Hospital Board stating the Board was satisfied that there was 110 discourtesy shown towards the County Council by the hospital staff and that the action taken was the only course open under the circumstances. The chairman: I think the matter! can well be dropped now, though there is no doubt our discussion has done some good. I might explain that when I criticised the hospital authorities I was under the impression that the new hospital was open. Or. M. J. Mcßevnolds: So it should have been. It ought to have been open long ago. The letter was received. , A. further eommuniieation was- received from the Taranaki Hospital Hoard notifying that at the annual meeting of the Board next Wednesday, a rate of Is 3d in the £IOO would be struck on the local contributory authorities to make up the estimated deficiency for hospital and charitable aid purposes for the year 1016-17. The clerk stated that under this rate the Egmont County Council's contribution would amount to £1174 Ss fld, whereas last year the amount was £O3O Is. Tn addition, £220 (is\3d had be paid every year for interest on sinking fund. This meant that the Council's total contribution for the coming year would he in the neighbourhood of '.£1400. Or. W. R. Wright remarked that this bore out his prediction some time ago that the Council would sodn be paying £2OOO to the hospital. Every patient in the hospital cost the Council .33 fld a day, and while 70 was the average number of patients in the hospital now, lie. believed it would not be long before the average was 100. Cr. Wright added •that when the hospital was originally opened it contained 2S patients and the rate then, under the old Taranaki valuation, was Is 2d. It. .was time, he declared, that the Board put its foot down and stopped people going into the hospital who could afford to pay, for at present local Bodies were being robbed. Cr. Macßeynolds said the hospital was not crowded mow, in fact the maximum accommodation was not taxed at present. Tll reply to Cr. Young lie would say that 110 patients came to the New Plymou'h hospital from outside in preference to going to other hospitals. A councillor: I know patients did at one time. Cr. Macßeynplds added that it was his intention, as a member of the Hospital Board, to propose that the charge for patients should be increased from Ss a day to 7s (id a day. The charge was really (is a day, but Is a day was deducted for prompt payment. The in-dr.btedn-.'ss of patients from the Egmont County to the hospital was in the neighbourhood of £(100, and many of those who were in debt could well afford to pay. but they regarded the hospital as a free institution. The subject was then dropped.