HOSPITAL SUBSIDY

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 146, 22 June 1945, Page 4

HOSPITAL SUBSIDY

BOARD SEEKS INCREASE BIG BUILDING PROGRAMME O.C. WANGANUI, this day. The Wanganui Hospital Board will ask the Government to change the system of hospital finance and stabilise the hospital rate, either by meeting all the expenditure out of taxation from the social security levy or by granting a three to one subsidy oh all hospital expenditure, in place of the present subsidy of £ for £.

A resolution to this effect was carried by the full board by nine votes to three after several hours' discussion. While agreeing with a deputation of the Wanganui branch of the Federated Farmers of New Zealand, that the hospital finance system should be altered, members made it clear that they must carry out a five-year £273,000 building plan which had been adopted.

"We were told in Wellingt. that our £273,000 five-year building plan did not go far enough," the chairman, Mr. D. D. Simpson, told the deputation. "We were told that the buiMings were hopelessly out of date and that the programme should be expanded. The question of more maternity accommodation will come before the board."

A board member, Mr. J. C. Batt, said that hospital accommodation was so limited that women had to wait four months and men three months for admission.