AN OLD GRIEVANCE

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2807, 27 June 1916, Page 7

AN OLD GRIEVANCE

HOROWHENUA COUNTY AND THE ' HOSPITAL. . ■ A long-standing grievance of the northern end of- the Wellington Hospital District was ventilated by a deputation representing tho ' Horowhenua County Council, the Levin Borough Council, and the Otaki Town Board, which waited on tho Minister of .Public Health (tho Hon. G. W. : Russell) yesterday. Their grievance is, in effect, that they aro called upon to pay for tho maintenance of tho Wellington Hospital levies which are in their opinion very heavy, while their peoplo cannot get commensurate benefits from the use of the institution, admittedly .: well equipped and efficient. Hospital case 3 .go to tho much nearer centre of Palnierston, into private.hospitals. Very few .make the long journey to Wellington. Formerly they asked to bo included in the Palmerston Hospital District, to whioh the distrct geographically belongs, but. without success. Tho request they made yesterday was that the Horowhenua County should be constituted a separate hospital district, but as the Mimstor said that if the project was to be entertained at all, the southern boundary should be the Paekakariki Hill, the deputation - accepted this proposal, and practically, made this their request. This:means that they ask that Horowhenua County and the Wereroa Riding of Hutt' County shall be the new hospital district.

Tho Minister, replying, said that as the proposal involved ' legislation, he could not hold out any hope of its being dealt" with by. Parliament during the present session. He would,' however, carefully, inquire into the facts presented to him during the recess, with a view of being prepared to act, if he deem-ed-.it wise to do so, next session. He knew it had been the policy of the Department to endeavour to secure strong, thoroughly equipped base hospitals. The question had occured to him whether the district of Horowhenua was sufficiently strong from a population point of view,, from'a financial point of view, and from ll medical point of view, to establish a hospital w-hich.would be equipped according -to' the requirements of modern medical science, fle was not convinced that such a district would be ablo to maintain much more than a country hospital. Ho had, however, already realised that hard and'fast rules could not 1m laid ,'Qowii/ - .,'.There were districts" which, oh account of their .distance from main hospitals, must have tho right of local ad.ministration with institutions of theii own. From this point of view ho was prepared to look sympathetically into tho matter .'of.-the deputation's request. •Mr;.. Russell denied absolutely that the necessity for heavy levies in the Wellington district. was caused by the treatment of .soldiers in the institution. Tho Wellington Hospital Board was being paid 6s.' per day for every soldier who occupied a bed in the Hospital, and tho Wellington. Board was the only ono in New Zealand which charged the Government "• Os. for; the treatment of soldiers. Every, other board charged ss. Also the' . Wellington Hospital.ivas the only one which hod refused free treatment to men desiring to fit themselves for enlistment, unless they we're residents of -the district and were practically paupers and unable to pay. Referring again to tho plea of Hor'o, wheniia for relief, he said that tho ex. penditure during the last five years by the. Wellington Hospital Board in respect of Horowhenua district was-.£9263, allowing for, a-public health officer in the' district, and the levies made on the local bodies amounted to ,£9028. So that the district had raised in levies practically air tho moneys that were spent or would have been spent. This left unaccounted for the Government subsidy of practically pound for pound. How tho Wellington Hospital Board had used this subsidy he did not know. He repeated his promise that during tho-recess he would make a personal inspection of the- district, and of the institutions in the district, to 'discover what justification there .was for putting the hospital- there on a higher scale. Hi was afraid it could not be graded as a base hospital. If the new hospital district, were created, they would have to make arrangements with Wellington or Palmerston to securo a higher standard of medical treatment for certain cases requiring it. '