MOTOR VICTIMS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 72, 26 March 1931, Page 14

MOTOR VICTIMS

THE HOSPITAL FEES

CLAIM ON INSURANCE

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post.")

CHBISTCHUECH, 25th March,

A proposal that provision be made under the compulsory third party insurance scheme for the payment of fees for hospital treatment given to persons injured in motor accidents was brought forward at a meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board.

Dr. P. Stanley Foster said that last year about 200 such.cases were treated in hospital, and during the past, ten or eleven months of the present financial year the number of cases was 169. The position was that the wards were always more or loss filled with such pati-ents. The board must make an effort to limit the number of such cases treated in hospital, or else see that more fees were collected from patients.

The English Boad Traffic Act of 1930, continued Dr. Foster, contained provision in tho third party risk for payment of fees in case of treatment in hospital, and in his opinion the board should take steps to get legislation passed to enable it to obtain similar fees here.

"I agree with every word spoken by Dr. Foster," said the chairman, Mr. H. J. Otlcy. "There arc many in the wards who could be treated in private houses and thus relievo the position in the wards."

Mr. A. T. Smith said that frequently fees were collected in the Courts by patients who were successful in claims for damages. He asked if the board could not recover such fees.

"We try to," said the chairman. Ho added that the boards had never been able to get very far with the proposal that the Courts should order such foes to bo paid driect to the hospitals. It was decided to leave tho question in the hands of the chairman.