HOSPITAL LEVY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 5, Issue 46, 29 April 1942, Page 5

HOSPITAL LEVY

COUNTY TO PAY £7994

INCREASING COSTS

In a lengthy statement the secretary of the Whakatane Hospital Board, Mr A. Brid'ger, informed the County Council at its meeting yesterday that levies to be made over the Whakatane County area amount to £7994 8s Id (Capital £1280 14s 9d. and Maintenance £6713 13s 4d). This represents a total levy of .7697 d: in the £ on the Rateable Capital Value which is .2885 d in the £ more than last year. Continuing, the statement snys : My Board finished the financial year ended 31st March 1942 with a debit balance of £2025 18s lOd in Maintenance Accciunt which Avas largelj' accounted for by Salaries and Wages payments being £1434 more than estimated and payments to other Boards under Section 9>2 being £580 more than estimated. Alteration of Industrial Awards and the extreme shortage of nurses which caused the rates of salaries to increase greatly, and the necessity to have adequate staff to cope with the increasing work at the hospital were the reasons for the increased payments in salaries and wages but your Council will appreciate that these matters were beyond the control of my board. Payments to other boards under Section 92 reached the high figure of £2330 but under the present regulations a person has the right of admission to anj 7 Public Hopital in New Zealand. This fact, together with the settlements of Galatea, Murupara etc. being nearer and having better access to Rotorua than Whakatane, and the Department af Health adopting a vigorous campaign against tuberculosis amongst the Maoris, has caused payments to reach this extremely high figure but these matters are to a very large extent beyond the control of my board. About eight months ago my board met the Waikato Hospital Board re Galatea and Murupara patients with the idea of reaching some agreements either for 'the Galatea district to be taken over by the Waikato Board or for reduced charges to be made by the* Waikato Board to us with respect to Galatea patients treated in the Rotorua Hospital but no result came from the meeting, the Waikato Board contending that they would prefer the' patients to come to Whakatane as their Rotorua Hospital was in any case very overcrowded .

The increase in this year's levy is accounted for as under:—

(a) Debit balance from last year

(b) Increase in Hospital Maintenance caused by: (i) Increase in estimated occupied beds from 60 tci 63; (ii) High increase in cost of provisions, drugs etc.; (iii) Additional 5 per cent increase' in wages.

(c) Loan repayment in connection with proposed loan to be borrowed in connectieai with additions to buildings detailed below.

(d) Air raid precaution work, only a possible £35 of Avhieh is available for Government subsidy.

(e) Increase in estimated payments to other Boards.

The average occupied beds' at the hospital increased from 57.8 to 61.35 over the last year and the estimates this year arc based on a 63 bed basis.

The board is faced Avith the following capital works in the near future: Additions to Women's Ward; Additions to Nurses' Home; Additions to Kitchen and Staff Dining Room. The Women's Wartl is a 10bed Ward, is at present always overcrowded and it has been found necessary at times toi put 15 patients into it. Owing to lack of accommodation, nurses are boarded out and the verandahs are used as bedrooms. The Kitchen and Staff Dining Rooms were built for a 28 bed hospital and on 31 /'3 '12 there were 79 patients in the hospital.

Consent has been received frem the Department of Health to proceed with this Avork and plans are being prepared.

As regards the levies abovementioned, the Capital Levy is payable in one sum on Ist prox., together with the first quarterly instalment oT the Maintenance Levy. The remaining quarterly instalments are payable on the first days of August. November and February.