THIRD PARTY RISK.

Auckland Star, Volume LXII, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 10

THIRD PARTY RISK.

MOTOR ACCIDENT PATIENTS.

HOSPITAL BOARD PROPOSAL.

HEAVY STRAIN ON WARDS,

(By Telegraph.—Own Correspondent.) CHRISTCHURCH, Wednesday. A proposal that provision be made under the compulsory third party insurance scheme for the payment of fees for hospital treatment given to persons injured in motor accidents was brought forward at a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board.

Dr. P. Stanley Foster said that last year about 200 of such cases were treated in hospital, and during the past ten or eleven months of the present financial year the number of cases was 169. The position was that wards were always more or less filled with such patients. The board must make an effort to limit the number of such cases treated in the hospital or else see that more fee 6 weie collected from the patients. The English Road Traffic Act of 1930, continued Dr. Foster, contained a provision in the third party risk for the payment of fees in the case of treatment in hospital, and in his opinion the board should take steps to get legislation passed to enable it to obtain similar fees. " I agree with every word spoken by Dr. Foster," said the chairman, Mr. H. J. Otley. " There are many in the wards who could be treated in private houses, and thus relieve the position in the wards." r ' Mr. A. T. Smith said that frequently fees were collected in the Courts by patients wljo were successful in claims for damages. He asked if the board could not recover such fees.

"We try to," said the chairman. He added that the boards had never been able to get very far with tile proposal that the Courts should order such .fees to be paid direct to the hospitals. It was decided to leave the question iin the hands of the chairman#