HOSPITAL FEES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume XLV, Issue 10168, 25 July 1924, Page 8

HOSPITAL FEES.

MUNICIPAL ACCOUNTS. AUDITOR-GENERAL CRITICAL. WELLINGTON, July 24. The attention of •Parliament is called by the Auditor and Controller-General to what he states is a loose method frequently followed in writing off hospital patients’ fees. In one instance brought under audit notice, tees due in respect of relatives of the chairman and of a member of the board were so remitted. il Tlie tax on tbe commitnity for maintaining these institutions is so great that a more thorough investigation should,” says tho report, be made as to the capacity of patients to pay before writings off are allowed, lr this is not done, a sinister form or patronage may easily develop in favour of fnends or acquaintances of board members. The matter has been brought under the notice of the Public Health Department, and the Director-Genei a has promptly taken steps to seo that every endeavour is made to recover fees before any applications for writing off are submitted' in future. ‘ ‘ The requirements or a uniform provision regarding disqualifications and more clearly-defined conditions than now exist for the payment of travelline expenses of members of boards are” yearly becoming more urgent, and legislation in this direction would be welcomed by all concerned. . A further matter calling for legislative action is in respect of the sections in tlie Municipal Corporations Act dealing with the preparation of tiading accounts. The present state of the law makes it practically impossible to construct accounts and balance-sheets so that tbev will be in commercial form and at the same time accord with the statutory provisions as now enacted. It is suggested that the simplest way of dealing with the difficulty would be to make it obligatory on the Audit Office to prescribe a form of trading accounts.

Regarding the alleged loose method of writing off accounts, it is stated that the system adopted for Ashburton is to submit the unpaid accounts to the Hospital Committee, and thence to the members of the board, who bring their local knowledge to bear on tbe question, and decide which of the debtors are able to pay the whole amount of their accounts. The debtors thus cited are then expected to pay, and reasonable measures are taken to secure, payment. In those cases where the individual is consideied able to pay a portion of the account, the same steps are taken with l cgai d to that portion. Those who are considered as financially unable to pay any part of their accounts are then referred to the board, which passes a resolution that tlie amounts be written off. It is considered that the local practice eliminates as far as possible the. possibility of ex-patients escaping their just liabilities to the board.