HOSPITAL LEVIES.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 65, Issue 205, 12 June 1945, Page 4

HOSPITAL LEVIES.

n LOCAL BODY CONTRIBUTIONS. U s| l ELECTION . OF COMMITTEES Levies by the Ashburton Hospital i Board on contributing local authorities for the current year are as follows (those for the previous year being in parentheses):—County Council, £13,204 (£13,006); Borough Council. 3 £2835 (£2772); Tinwald Town Board, t £197 (£191). 3 These figures were announced by the 3 secretary (Mr J. H. Chapman) when 3 the Hospital Board met to-day. 3 The chairman (Mr C. A. Campion) 3 said it was gratifying that it had not 1 been necessary to increase the levy on l local authorities to a large extent. , The following committees were re 3 appointed: Hospital committee, Messrs - W. H. Wilkinson (chairman), C. A, l Campion, H. E. Jessep, and Dr. H. S, ‘ Billcliff; building committee, Messrs ’ W. G. Gallagher (chairman), Raymond ! Oakley and E. T. Grigg; finance com- ■ mittee, Messrs L. A. Charles (chair- • man), Campion, Wilkinson and Gallagher. Mr Oakley was re-appointed to I represent the board on the Waipiata Sanatorium Committee. ; Reports were presented as follows: j Medical Superintendent. Patients remaining end of April, 65 males, 47 : females —total 112; admitted during May, BS, 63—141; total treated, 153, 100 —253; discharged during May, 81, 55 — 136; died, 3, 3—6; remaining at end of May, 69, 42 —111; average number of occupied beds, 117.6. Outpatient attendances, 801; X-ray examinations, inpatients 44, outpatients 121; laboratory reports, 242, 10; massage treatments, 144, 476; diathermy treatments 38, 198; ultra-violet ray treatments, 18, 4; plaster operations, S, nil; operations 112. Maternity Ward. —For the month o£| May 38 patients were admitted, 30 discharged and 16 remained. Of 147 antenatal patients seen, 50 were given Margaret Morris exercises. Nurse D. Sinclair completed her training and Nurses L. P. Kibblewhite and R. Featherston commenced their training. Laundry Manager. —Pieces laundered, 57,977 (May, 1944, 56,282). Secretary. —The month opened with a credit balance of £IB3B 13s lOd and closed witli one of £4643 0s 4d. Maintenance levies £IOOO, maintenance subsidies of £2OOO and Social Security benefits £3522 19s were the main items of receipts. On the expenditure side were maintenance £3316 16s lOd, capital. £2lO 16s lid and administration £lßl 14s Bd. Those present were Messrs Campion (chairman), Gallagher, Oakley, Charles Grigg, Jessep, Wilkinson and Dr. Billcliff. Cutting Down Costs. Commenting on the annual report of the secretary (published elsewhere) Dr. H. S. Billcliff emphasised that the primary factor in cutting down the cost of running a hospital was to cut down the length of stay of individual patients. Mr W. G. Gallagher: “We should not want to turn out people who were still sick.” Dr. Billcliff: “That could safely he left to the Medical Superintendent (Mr A. J. Mason).” The chairman (Mr C. A. Campion) described the average weekly cost of board and lodging at the nurses’ home (£1 Is lid) as rather staggering. The finance committee drew attention to the fact that all items of expenditure compared favourably with the average for New Zealand except provisions. It recommended that the hospital committee watch this item very closely. Commenting on the recommendation, Mr L. A. Charles said there was something wrong when provisions were so high in comparison with other items.

Mr Raymond Oakley said the high cost, of provisions shown in the secretary’s report was perhaps largely a matter of book-keeping. The recommendation was adopted.