HOSPITAL FINANCE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 134, 3 December 1926, Page 12

HOSPITAL FINANCE

INCREASE IN INSTITUTIONS

DECREASE IN CHARITABLE AID

ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF HEALTH.

Some remarks on the finance of the hospital boards of the Dominion were made by the Minister of gealth (the Hon. J. A. Young) at the laying of the foundation stove yesterday of the new admission and administrative blocks of the Wellington Hospital. He said that the priucipal items in the income of hospital bards (including receipts on account of capital) during the - year ended 31st March, 1926, were (to the nearest £1000): From Government, £580,----000; levies on local authorities, £526,000; voluntary contributions, £18,000; fees actually received, £32-1,000; rents, etc., £25,000; total, £1,473,000. The principal items of expenditure were: Hospital maintenance, £925,000; charitable relief, £371,000; administration, £49,000; interest on loans, £52,000; district nursing, etc., £18,000; capital expenditure, £578,000; total, £1,093,000. The capital expenditure was represented by purchase of land, £10,000; erection of building £488,000, and equipment, £80,000. There was also the amount required anually towards the repayment of the loans which in the case of extensive building operations was required to be spread over a period of years. The actual figures representing sinking fund repayments were not at the moment available. In addition to the Government contribution must be added a further £107,000 expenditure on thirteen hospitals, which it administered itself and towards which it received some £68,000 fees from patients. The Hospital expenditure naturally showed an increase over the preceding year owing to increase in number of institutions and beds; but it was satisfactory to note that the £ees received showed a proportionately greater increase, whilst the charitable aid expenditure had dropped some £12,000.

The Minister said that in some parts of the country there had been some complaints as to bad times, but an examination of the operations of hospital boards up to 31st March of this year had convinced him that things were "not half bad." For instance, notwithstanding the fact that hospital activities had shown an increase, proportionately more fees had been collected during the year than had been the case previously; whilst the expenditure on charitable aid had. as he had indicated, dropped by about £12,000, which after all showed thgt the country was not in such a bad position, as some pessimists would like them to believe. The Minister humorously described a pessimist as "a person who saw an obstacle in every opportunity," whilst an optimist was "a man who saw an opportunity in every obstacle." Difficulties were made to be got over; and with a will to progress and make good, all difficulties he was sure would disappear. The Hon. Air. Young said that New Zealand was the most "hospitalled" country in the world, in that it had more beds per head of population than any other. In connection with the treatment of tubercular patients, New Zealand also had more beds in sanatoria per head of population than any other country. Again, New Zealand had also the distinction of having the lowest death rate from tubercular disease of any country in the world. It was not, however, to be inferred from these facts as to the proportion of hispithese facts as to the proportion of hospiness than other countries. As a matter of fact. New Zealand was a very healthy country. There were two main- reasons for the position he had stated. One was that the population x was very scattered, and required hospital services in many parts, calling for a large number of hospital districts. And another reason was that the_ people generally were imbued with a high sense of humanitarian responsibility in respect to the sick.