SICKNESS IN N.Z.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 237, 6 October 1945, Page 7

SICKNESS IN N.Z.

HEAVY EXPENDITURE

GROWING DEMAND FOR BEDS

Parliamentary Reporter WELLINGTON, this day. The heavy public expenditure on sickness in the Dominion was commented on by Mr. Acland (Nat., Temuka) during the discussion of the Health Department's estimates in the House of Representatives yesterday. According to the report of the Director-General of Health, said Mr. Acland, New Zealand already had more hospital beds per thousand of population than any country in the world. Why, he asked, was there demand for still more beds? Taking all kinds of expenditure on hospitals and social security payments in respect to sickness, Mr. Acland. suggested that the expenditure now amounted to about £12,000,000 per annum, New Zealand was spending about £8 per head every year on sickness. He asked if something could be done to prevent all this sickness in a country which enjoyed one of the best climates in the world.

Provision of Hospital Beds

The Minister of Health, Mr. Nordmeyer, said it was true that Mew Zealand led the world in providing hospital beds by reason oi the fact that a very high proportion of maternity cases were dealt with in hospitals, public or private. Probably twice as many women per population were confined in hospitals in the Dominion as in other countries. Another factor was that relatively higher provision was made for tuberculosis cases.

The Department wanted 10 beds per thousand of population, including T. 8., maternity and general beds, and hospital boards had been told that where there were more than 10 beds there would have to be a prettv strong case before an increase were allowed. It was the Department's desire that districts which had only five beds per thousand, should have an increase. Dealing with the money being spent on sickness, the Minister said that it was only in recent years, since social security, came into being, that the matter had come prominently before the public. In other words, the. public could now see something of the actual cost. He would agree that more needed to be done on the preventive side.

Attention to Children An English expert on industrial hygiene had reported on the conditions in New Zealand factories, and it was the desire of the Government to incorporate some of his recommendations in a Factories Bill, which would come before the House shortly. The Government realised the importance of environmental factors, and particular attention was being paid to the children. New Zealand rations were relatively high and many cases of sub-nutrition could be avoided if people made up for deficiencies by wise feeding. In other directions, the Health Department, however, could merely advise. He was told by the Director of School Hygiene that a great deal of sub-standard health was not due to lack of food but to lack of rest and sleep. Many parents did not realise the importance of rest and adequate sleep.