TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

Evening Post, Volume CXXI, Issue 153, 30 June 1936, Page 7

TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS

LOAD ON HOSPITALS FEES FALL SHORT A CORRESPONDENT'S QUERY A correspondent, "Payer of Rates," raises -an issue • which was > discussed in a lively fashion some time ago, but which <■ latterly has been passed by "Whether the high traffic accident rate in New Zealand does not' impose so great a burden upon public hospitals, and therefore upon ratepayers, as to warrant hospital boards asking for some relief from motor .taxation funds, or m some other manner, to fit a position which has arisen only since motor traffic has developed.

"Payer of Hates" writes: "We know that, owing to recent legislation the city rates are. to be increased, and that the hospital'levy will this year be considerably greater than in previous years. In connection with' this levy, I would like to know what is the community cost of the steady increase in motor accidents. I do not mean , the cost to employers or to individuals, but the cost to ratepayers in general, through hospital levies, of the upkeep and maintenance of hospital service for the niany patients who are (quite rightly) sent.to the nearest hospital after having suffered injury caused by motor transport "I understand that several hospitals endeavour to have special accommodaition ready over the weekends and at holiday times for the almost certain influx of patients. .Many of these patients can, and do, pay their hospital accounts, but there are many. who probably do ■ not. This. loss .falls on the ratepayer,'and. may be responsible for. much of the hospital levy increase of recent years.

"The motorist is specially taxed, to pay tor upkeep of roads. Is there any reason why a portion of that tax, or another special tax, should not be paid over to the hospital boards? This is opening up a big question,; but it certainly concerns every payer of rates." In 1930, when cars were considerably fewer than they 'are- today; but when the accident rate was already too high, the' Wellington 1 Hospital Board - discussed 1 much, the' same' issue as is • saised in the above letter, and ' a detailed report' was laid before board members, but apparently a similar return has not since been taken out. The figures then were thoroughly startling, for they showed'that, during a twelve months' ' period, .- of all accident cases dealt, with; three out of four (73 per cent, to- be exact) were ,motor accident, cases,: and these did not include cases where death was immediate or where .the .victims were not sufficiently injured to require in-patient' treatment. Again, to be on the safe side, the hospital authorities did not include cases where the. cause of injury was not definitely known, as* in cases where victims" were brought to the-hos-pital unconscious, but this last class could not be numerous. v The showed the actual cost to the : hospital, which,. of course, meant; the' cost to 'the ratepayers of the hospital district, for only about oner third of:the cost of;treatment of such cases was recovered in fees. In three years £5316 was expended in nursing back to health or patching up to partial health 598 accident victims, but the fees' recovered ckme to only £1756. . As that was six years ago it would serve, no' particular purpose to republish the tables in detail, for it may be that' since ; then the percentages of fees recovered is considerably greater, but, even. so, the casualty ward accounts must be; will on the wrong side because of the high percentage of traffic accident, cases admitted. A-further report would be of considerable public interest, arid it would perhaps be found to be as sound an argument as any for. the inauguration of a practical safety-first compaign, wholeheartedly launched and wholeheartedly carried through, which, unfortunately, has not been characteristic of past campaigns, for iju,ch a.repbrt might well show that money spent in. making roads and streets and vehicles safer could at least be balanced by reduced hospital losses, to say. nothing of the saving of pain. and misery to 'accident victims and their.' families: The highest .'year's total for' traffic casualty cases. in the report to the Hospital Board was 216, but last year, of the total accident cpies . transported by the free Ambulance (1346), 425 were traffic accident Cases, so that it certainly does not appear that there is any improvement On the contrary, the: report of. the Free. Ambulance Board this year, calls particular attention to the still' increasing number at street. accidents. : U ! '' : : ':''.'- ! -