COST OF HOSPITALS

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LVIII, Issue 10322, 8 March 1930, Page 3

COST OF HOSPITALS

Over a Million Pounsg per Annum. administration policy. The question of hospital policy, with special reference to the medical staffing of public hospitals, was discussed at a conference convened by the Minister of Health, Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, which sat at Wellington this week. There were present the Director-Geuei'al of Health, Dr T. H. A. Valintlne, representatives of the British Medical Association, members of the executive of the Hospital Boards’ Association, the secretaries of the larger hospital boards, representatives of the Health Department, and Mr M. J. Savage, M.P., a member of the Auckland Hospital Board. In opening the proceedings the Minister of Health said It was the first conference of its kind to be held in the Dominion. While the present ijospital system was a most excellent one, there was nothing so

far perfect in this world, and there was nothing which could not be improved upon. As evidencing the greater use of public hospitals, which, lie said, was a feature of the hospital development all through the British Empire, Mr Stallworthy submitted some interesting figures. In 1910-11, he said, the number of

beds provided in public hospitals in New Zealand was 3 218, or 3.1 per 1000 of the population. In 192829 the corresponding figures were 845 7 and 5.8. The average daily number of occupied beds increased 1910-11 to 87,888. or 59.8 per 1000 The number of in-patients annually receiving treatment had increased

from 25,191, or 24.1 per 1000, in 1919-11, to 87,888, or 59.8 per 1000 in an increase relative to population of 14 8 per cent, in 18 years. The out-patient services during the same period had developed at a still greater rate. In 1910-11, 18,867 out-patients received treatment, as against 73,952 in 1928-29. The gross annual maintenance cost of public hospitals had in the same period increased from £200,691 to £1,206,190, disregarding indirect expenses and also expenditure on district medical nursing and ambulance services. The gross expenditm-c in hospital maintenance per head of ' the population was 3/11 in 1910-11 I and 16/6 in 1928-29. ! These were gross figures of main- j tenauce cost, taken in order to em- ! phasiso the extension of the public , hospital services, and they did not I take into account recoveries in the ' form of patients’ fees. ; “It might be mentioned,’’ said the Mlniatejr, "that collecions of patients’ fees amounted to some £4 5,000 in I 1910-11, while for 1928-29 over i £350,000 was collected from this ' source. In this connection it, is particularly interesting to note Inat (he annual amount now received from paients is nearly double what the I annual maintenance cost of hospitals |. was 18 years ago. ' "However, the fact remains that : provision of public hospitals, includ- ; ing administrative expenses, interest I and depreciation charges, involves I a burden on local and general taxa- i tion exceeding £1,000,000 a year. No more requires to be said to em- ; phasise the need for directing hos- ! pital policy along lines (hat will as-,.j sure the greatest possible measure ' of co-operation between the control- i ling authorities and the members of (he medical profession.”