HOSPITAL BOARDS

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 109, 1 February 1941, Page 13

HOSPITAL BOARDS

Increased Activities In 1939-40 DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH’S REPORT All-round increases in the activities of hospital boards throughout the Dominion are revealed in the annual report of the Department of Health for the year ended March 31, 1940, as compared with the previous year. Because of the overcrowding in some centres, the reference in the report to the fact that the number of beds available in public hospitals increased by 582 over the previous year is of general interest. Following arc comparative statistics, those for the year 1938-39 being given in parentheses:— Number of beds of all descriptions for patients in all public hospitals, including departmental institutions, 9816 ( 9234) ; number of such beds available per 1000 of population, 6.0 (5.7) ; average number occupied per 1000 of population, 4.5 (4.3) ; number of inpatients who received treatment during year,123,540 (114,451) ; number per 1000 of population who availed themselves of in-patient treatment, 75.6 (71.2);. number of out-patients (including dental cases, which totalled 34,023 during 1939-40) who received treatment during year, 206,023 (173,529) ; number per 1000 of population who availed themselves of out-patient and dental treatment, 126.1 (107.7). The average maintenance cost of general hospitals only, controlled by hospital boards was: Per occupied bed, £272.7 (£254.0) ; per established bed, £211.5 (£196.5); per patient ’ treated, £14.3 (£13.7). Revenue received by hospital boards and departmental institutions totalled £3,419,392 against £2,770,868, and expenditure £2,546,704 against £2,328,238. The gross maintenance expenditure of hospital boards for the year averaged £l/10/3 a head of population._ If Government hospitals are taken into account, the amount a head of population would be £l/11/2. The total number of beds provided, including Government institutions, was 9516, comprising 6858 general, 723 maternity and 2235 T.B. and' infectious diseases. Private hospitals provided 2765 beds, bringing the total for the Dominion, exclusive of mental hospitals, to 12,581, or 7.7 a thousand of population. The average total cost a patient treated was £l5/8/- for 1939-40, coil*pared with £l4/16/- in the previous year. Land, buildings and equipment of hospital boards and Government institutions were valued at £5,821,897, compared with £5,558,349.