HOSPITAL CHARGES

Evening Post, Volume CIV, Issue 37, 12 August 1927, Page 8

HOSPITAL CHARGES

(To the Editor.)

Sir,—The chairman of the Wellington Hospital Board is reported in your issue of yesterday's date to have made the following statements in reply to your correspondent "Disgusted": 1. If no payment is made within three weeks from date of discharge, the account is followed by a circular requesting an instalment or a reason for non-payment. 2. It" this is ignored a further circular is sent.

3. The latter is followed by a final notice asking the patient to call at the office within fourteen days, otherwise the account will be placed in the hands of the Commercial Agency. This should be considerate enough for anyone—if the employees of Mr. Luke's board always did it. The trouble is, however, they do not. During the last three and a half years I have incurred over £220 expenses in doctors, hospital, and nursing bills. I paid one member of the B.M.A. 7 per cent, interest on his overdue account. Many of these accounts are still unpaid and precede that of the Wellington Hospital Board. The Wellington Hospital Board handed me their account for £9 in February, and in June I received the demand for payment "without delay" from the debt collecting agency. Not one o£ the notices Mr, Luke talks about was sent to me. —I am, etc., t SYMPATHISER. 12th August.