WILSON HOME

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 22960, 11 February 1938, Page 14

WILSON HOME

KECEPTION CONDITIONS WAIKATO BOARD'S STAND RESTRICTED GUARANTEE [FROM OUR OWN COIIItKSPONDKNT] HAMILTON, Thursday Further information regarding the conditions under which patients may bo admitted to tho Wilson Home for cripples was given to the W aikato Hospital Board in correspondence received to-day. Tho secretary of tho Auckland Hospital Board, Mr. H. A. Soinmerville, wrote to the board setting out the procedure to be adopted when patients desire admission to tho home. Parents or guardians arc required to apply to the board of their own district in tiio first instance, and to enclose a medical certificate with tho application. Tho patient is admitted to the Auckland Hospital for three, weeks for observation, and to insure that 110 infection shall be carried into tho. home.

Tho opinion was expressed tnat six weeks was far too short a period for ft patient to be an inmate of tho home if any permanent good was to bo achieved. In tho opinion of tho medical superintendent of tho Auckland Hospital, at least six months would bo required, and even then it was entirely at the discretion of tho Wilson Homo authorities as to whether a ease should or should not be discharged.

Oases from Province It was pointed out by Mr. Sommerville that no discrimination was exercised in regard to domicile, so long as the cases came from tlie Auckland 1 rovinco. At the present time ten out of the 25 cases in the homo came from outsido hospital districts. Dealing with an individual case in another letter, Mr. Sommerville said the charge at Wilson Homo was 16s a day, irrespective of age. Hie Waikato board must accept definite responsibility for the payment of ices in cases coming from its district and make its own arrangements for collection from tho patient's parents, "lhe provisions of Section 92 of the Hospital Boards Act, dealing with reciprocal agreements between boards regarding the payment of hospital fees, woie waived, while payment was required to be made during the whole time the patient was in the home, whether the period exceeded two years provided ui the Act or not. Dr. Watt's Approval Air. Sommerville enclosed a copy of a letter from the Director-General of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt, in which tho Minister of Health expressed his approval of tho fees charged fox patients admitted to the home. In reply to the chairman, Mr. J.J. Rvburn, the medical superintendent. Dr. M. M. Hockin, said the facilities available for the treatment of infantile paralysis cases at the Waikato Hospital were absolutely efficient. When tin solarium was', installed at Wilson Home, the conditions there might be different. The board decided that it would only guarantee tho payment of fees for patients at the Wilson Home on condition that all such cases should be approved by the board and its medical superintendent, and on tho further condition that the period should bo no longer than six months, when a full report on the case was required.