HOSPITAL PRACTICE

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 7, 8 July 1931, Page 12

HOSPITAL PRACTICE

NATIVE PATIENTS

INCIDENCE OF RATING

The position of Native patients in hospitals was considered by the conference of the New Zealand Farmers' Union last evening. A Wairoa vomit was put forward as follows: "That in tho case o£ hospitals receiving Native patients the State should contribute a sum sufficient to raise the Native contribution to the level of the average European payments. " The Minister of Health (the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy) wrote stating that the question of still further increasing contributions towards medical and nursing treatment' of Maoris out of the Consolidated Fund, must be deferred for the present. Further, it could be shown that districts there was a high proportion of Maori population and a relatively large number of irrecoverable debts for hospital' treatment of Maoris were not alone in being heavily rated for hospital and charitable aid purposes. Special assistance to those districts, therefore, in respect of Maori patients involved assistance to other districts similarly heavily burdened.Mr. G. Dawson (Wairoa) said tho hospital boards were labouring under a heavy burden. The health, of tho Native population was a national question. Mr. R. H. Feist (Auckland) agreed that it was desirable that the conferoneo should go into the question of hospital rates. Ho considered that the .rural community was suffering an injustice. Mr. W. Morrison (Wanganui) said that one of the greatest hardships was where certain counties had a largo proportion of Native land. The boards levied on the counties, who had to pay. The levy was made on capital value, and any extra had to be p'kid by the European owner or occupier. There was a' big burden on tho European population. The big grievance was that the rural population was paying more than its share. Mr. J. E. Benson (Gisborne) said in his district there were three nurses who kept tho Natives out of hospital. It was decided, that tho Dominion Executive should act with the Counties' Association in the matter.