H—3l

The distribution by types of bed was as follows : General— 1948-49. 1939-40. Hospital Boards .. .. .. .. 9,770 6,603 Health Department .. .. .. 283 213 Private hospitals .. .. ..1,813 1,722 11,866 8,538 Maternity— Hospital Boards .. .. .. 1,527 598 Health Department .. .. .. 110 90 Private hospitals .. .. .. 675 1,043 2,312 1,731 Tuberculosis: Hospital Boards.. .. 1,692 1,203 Infectious diseases: Hospital Boards .. .. 754 1,032 2,446 2,235 16,624 12,504 The fact that, in the ten years, the number of general beds in private hospitals has increased by so little and the number of maternity beds in private hospitals has fallen considerably reflects the special problems with which licensees of these hospitals have been confronted during that period. The competition of entirely free treatment in public hospitals, rising wage-rates, rising prices, and inability to make their case for permission to charge increased fees for treatment forced many licensees to give Up. Shortages of building labour and materials further materially affected the position, making it difficult to embark on the erection of new private hospitals or the conversion of existing premises for that purpose. That new hospitals are required to conform to new standards has no doubt accentuated this difficulty. The disposition of available beds and of occupied beds in Hospital Board institutions of the different classes is shown in the following table, which shows also the number of hospitals in each class. General hospitals are allocated to the several classes according to the average number of occupied beds.

Table 20

39

1948-49. 1939-40. Number of Hospitals. Available Beds. Occupied Beds. Number of Hospitals. Available Beds. Occupied Beds. General hospitals— Over 400 beds 200-400 beds 100-200 beds 40-100 beds 20-40 beds 10-20 beds Under 10 beds 6 8 11 20 10 8 7 3,692 2,720 1,947 1,814 437 234 103 3,042 2,099 1,481 1,378 260 109 38 3 3 7 23 12 8 10 1,959 1,010 1,437 2,153 583 213 123 1,829 892 1,068 1,491 358 113 50 Special hospitals (including maternity hospitals) 70 98 10,947 2,796 8,407 2,018 66 56 7,478 1,958 5,801 1,286 168 13,743 10,425 | 122 9,436 7,087* * 1939-40 figures include 114 available beds and 109 occupied beds for tuberculosis patients in the Auckland Infirmary which was not at that time classed as a hospital.