HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

Evening Post, Volume CI, Issue 48, 25 February 1921, Page 10

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

PATIENTS' FEES DISCUSSED

ACCOMMODATION 1 FOR TUBER-

CULAR. CASES.

The meeting of the Wellington Hospital and Charitable Aid Board continued yesterday after The Post had gono to press.

The proposed instructions to the board's delegates to the Commission on Subsidies find other matters, set out in yesterdays report, were iliscussed. One clause proposed that the rate for contributions to the cost.of treatment should be increased from 7s 6d to 10s per day. Some members urged that the rate now charged was us high as many people could afford and "that an inciease. wa!> not advisable. The chairman and other irembers pointed out that under the present charges only about 20 per cent, of the fees were collected, and the proposed increase would have no appreciable effect on those who were not paying now ; it would enable the board tf> receive more adequate revenue, from those who could well afford to pay a higher rate.

Mt. C. H. Chapman, who was among the opponents of any increase, said he believed it would actually pay the board to abolish the charge altogether. The large cost of co.'lectirig-thb small amount of fees now paid would be saved. He would not oppose any gratuitous payments, large or small, but was in favour of absolutely free treatment, paid for by the rating of the public. The time would come ' when* all treatment in national hospitals would be free. It was decided that the amounts to be ■ recommended to the conference should be 7s 6d per day.

. A letter from the Djrector of the Hospital Division, Department of Public Health, was read, asking when the accommodation for chronic tubercular cases at the- Ewart Hospital would be available. Thore were ten cases at Trentham, where it was felt it was not advisable, to retain them, and their early admis-' sion to the Ewart Hospital was desired. A reply was approved, statins that the Ewart Hospital would not be available till the end.of this month, and that the matter of the cases at Trentham would be referred to the Medical Superintendent on his return from leave. ;

The report on the work done in the venereal-diseases clinic during January^ showed the following figures: Syphilis, males—number of old cases attending. 202; new eases seen, 5:, females, old cases,' 41; new eases, 1. The work in this section keeps about the same each month. Only one of the new cases was a recent infection, a-nd it was incurred overseas. Gonorrhoea, males —new oßses, 22; old cases seen, 55: females —new cases-, 1; old cases, 4. There was again a large number of new cases on the male side, practically all of recent infection incurred in Wellington. Tho section was rather overworked both as to facilities and assistance, and the , work of the orderlies was extremely heavy.