HOSPITAL FINANCE

Evening Post, Volume CVIII, Issue 82, 3 October 1929, Page 15

HOSPITAL FINANCE

MISTER'S HOPES

MORE EQUITABLE SYSTEM

A*u intimatioa that he proposes In the Parliamentary recess to interviow hospital boards and other local bodies with a view to ovolving a more equitable system 6i .taxation, as between town and country districts, for the financing of hospitals, was mado by the Minister of Health (the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy) in tho House of Eopresentatives yesterday.

Mr, M. J. Savage (Labour, Auckland West) referred to the gradual increase ia the publio contribution towards the cost of upkeeping of public hospitals, and said the question arose as to whether it should not be done straight out from the Consolidated .Fund. He stressed the need for the evolution of a national scheme for the upkeep of the hospitals. The time was long overdue for the establishment of a properfoundation, to replace the present willy-nilly" system. The Minister of Health (the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy) said it was a big matter of policy. He had discussed the position with the departmental officers and with members of the hospital boards, and he was doing his'best to try to evolve some better method of hospital finance than was in operation at present. However, it must be .perfectly plain-that we had in New Zealand a syatein of hospital finance and a hospital system generally that gave good reason for gratification, and a large measure of satisfaction. In the Old Country the hospitals relied almost entirely on the very unsatisfactory and unstable system of voluntary contributions. Comparison mado as between that system and the New Zealand system was vory much ia favour of the New Zealand system. Wo had au assured basis of hospital finauco. It was suggested the time had come when we should have a definite and substantial basis for hospital finance, but that was precisely what we bad got in contradistinction to Great Britain, Australia, and America. A certain amount'of financial responsibility fell on. the local authorities and on local rates, and 50 per cent, of it fell on the Consolidated Fund, both in regard to capital expenditure and maintenance. NOT ABSOLUTELY EQUITABLE. There was room for difference of opinion as to the incidence of the taxation and levies, and we had yet to explore a perfectly just system of finances. By and large, ho repeated, wo had every reason to bo satisfied with the present system. A responsible, hospital- administrator from England had expressed the opinion that it was th& finest hospital system in the world. Perhaps it was not absolutely equitable, tat he hoped in the Parliamentary recess to take a further opportunity to discuss with the representatives of the hospitalboards and other local bodies some means whereby they might arrr^e at a more perfect ana more just incidence of taxation as affecting the town and the country dwellers. There was a danger in New Zealand, notwithstanding all the things that could be said in favour of the present system, of the method of finance being regarded as too assured, and of the people thinking that as the Stato had committed itself not to allow the hospital system to go by the board for lack of finance, there was no need for voluntary contributions. Mr. P. Fraser (Labour,. Wellington Central): "Oh, they can bo.very well dried out." The Minister said that was a matter of opinion, but' he hoped the public would not overlook the fact that they could assist by means of contributions and gifts. '