New Hospitals Bill.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 698, 20 October 1909, Page 5

New Hospitals Bill.

• ■ A POLICY MEASURE. j The Hospitals and Charitable InstituI tious Bill, introduced into the House of Representatives by Message, is largely a consolidating measure. There are, however, some important amendments of the existing law proposed. For every hospital district there is to be a hospital and charitable aid board consisting of one or more representatives of each of the contributory districts. It is provided, however, that where it is deemed expedient districts may be combined for the purposes of representation. In regard to electiou to boards, it is provided that every elector in the district shall have a vote, and elections will be conducted under the provisions of the Local Elections Act. The cost of the election is to be borne by the contributory local authority. A representative must be an elector or a contributory local authority. When the staff of any hospital under the control of a board comprises "more than five resident medical practitioners, the Governor may, on the recommendation of those practitioners, or a majority of them, appoint one of their number to be a member of the board. On the establishment of a hospital and, charitable aid board under this Act, the property of dissolved bodies will vest in the new boards, which will take over contracts, debts and liabilities. The newly-formed hospital and charitable aid board will have the control and management of every institution or separate institution which becomes vested in it, every hospital for infectious diseases, and every institution which is established under the authority of the Act or transferred to the board. Every hospital or charitable aid board is to have the administration of charitable aid within its district.

No appointment of any medical officer, or other than an honorary medical officer, or of a master, manager or matron of auy institution' is to be made until the Minister has given his written approval of the proposed appointment. During each financial year, unless the Minister of Finance is satisfied that the board has sufficient funds to carry out its functions, a subsidy will be paid to each board out of the Consolidated Fund on the following scale:—(l) 10s for every £1 of the value of alldevices or bequests ; (2) 24s for every £1 of voluntary contributions ;£1 for every £1 levied'by the board from contributory local authorities ; the subsidy not to exceed £SOO in respect of the estate of a single testator. If any local authority fails to pay its contribution the Minister of Finance may deduct the amount from auy subsidies payable to it aud pay the amount to the board. It is also provided that if a contributory local authority is dissatisfied with the board's apportionment of expenditure it may appeal to the Minister, who, if he thinks fit, may appoint a com; 'jsioner to iuquire into the matter and thereafter deal with it. When in any "part of a hospital district there is no contributory local authority, the Valuer-General is to be deemed to be the contributory local authority* but the district will not be represented on the board. The amount required by the board in such a case will be raised by the Valuer-General by rates on the capital value of all property in the district.

Power is also given to the hospital and charitable aid board to establish new institutions for the treatment of persons suffering "from any disease, charitable institutions of various kinds, maternity homes, convalescent homes, sanatoria for consumptives, institutions for the reception of habitual inebriates, reformatories for women or girls, and so on.