COST OF HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 13595, 2 December 1909, Page 6

COST OF HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

The most important part of the review by the chairman of the Hospital Board of the work of the Hospital for the past year was undoubtedly his reference to the cost of administration. He pointed out that the gross average daily cost of maintenance for each patient was 7s 3i last year, as against os 7id for the previous year, the amount being, " as " usual, very much in excess of the " cost in the other three large hospitals " in the Dominion." He added that he thought further measures should' be taken in hand at once to reduce. this high cost. We imagine that few ratepayers will disagree with him on the point. A comparison in this matter between the Christchurch Hospital and tho hospitals in the three other centres is, of interest. For the past year it is as follows: — £ • ** 1 ■■■■•■■ Jt I!! H» '"-.ls. • ■ l-s; '■■■• d- d. g. d. Aucklend ~5 1 11} 4 14 Wellington. .. 6\Jli 10 5 1J Zhinedin .. 5 8 114 : 4 s\ Cbristchurch .. 7 3 11 6 4 The pre-eminence of the Christchurch Hospital in this respect is 4iot a matf.er of last year or the year before,; as Air Ingram said, it is the usual thing, and it would be interesting to learn the cause. The cost of living is as cheap in. Christchurch as in any city in New Zealand, except perhaps Auckland, and it is certainly lower than in Wellington. The detailed accounts supplied in the annual hospitals report presented to Parliament do not show why hospital treatment should be more costly here than elsewhere, though they throw some light on the question. The expenditure under the heading "surgery and dispensary," which includes wines and spirits, drugs, dressings and appliances, was, in the Chnstchurch Hospital with an average number of 102 patients a day, £1492, against Dunedia's £1283 for 131 patients, and the total cost of maintenance here, including salaries end "domestic establishment," was £12,765, only some £900 below the cost in Dun-

edin. The cost of "administration," which includes office salaries, printing, postage, etc., and sundries was £720, the highest total under this head in the four centres. Although the cost of maintaining our hospitals is borne with tolerable willingness by the ratepayers, who would not tolerate scrimping and saving at the expense of the unfortunate patients, they have a right to demand that there shall be dne economy in the administration of the institutions, and Mr Ingram will do good service if during his term of office he can reduce hospital expenditure in Christchurch until it bears a better comparison than it has done in the past to the expenditure in other centres. He may find some useful hints in the latest annual report of the Inspector-General, who deals therein very fully with the subject. Hβ shows that hospital authorities arc beginning to realise the need for greater economy, but clearly he believes that they could do a good deal more in this direction without injuring the patients or retarding their recovery.