Mobile meal price unchanged

Press, 21 August 1979, Page 21

Mobile meal price unchanged

rui attempt to increase by I 100 per cent the charge for meals on wheels in Christchurch has failed at a meeting of the finance committee of the North Canterbury Hospital Board. The charge of 50c a meal is set by the Health Department The board’s treasurer (Mr F. R. Harrison) had recommended to the committee that the charge to more than 14,000 people in Christchurch be increased to $l. Most discussion at the meeting was against the proposal. Professor D. W. Beaven said that any increase would be shortsighted as many elderly people might be forced into hospital because of poor nutritional standards if they did not receive the meals-on-wheels service.

Mr D. J. Lawrence said that such an increase “just was not on.”

“What is a dollar today? It isn’t much," Mr H. T. Dean said. “If we put it up to $1 we would get those people who are leaning on the scheme. I feel it would be no hardship to raise it,” Mr Dean said. The chairman of the finance committee (Mr C. F. Whitty) said that Mr Dean was “talking a lot of nonsense” and that there was no substantial evidence to suggest the scheme was being abused. Mr Lawrence said that every opportunity should be taken by the board to keep people in their own homes. If the meals-on-wheels service helped this it must be kept at its maximum. The suggested price increase will be further discussed by the board’s institutions committee but it is unlikely to be approved as Health Department approval must be given first.