PUBLIC HOSPITALS

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 70, 24 March 1937, Page 8

PUBLIC HOSPITALS

COST TO COMMUNITY

A GRADUAL INCREASE

The growth of the cost of public hospitals to the, community, without the increase of population to warrant it, is one of the problems of the day. An appendix to the annual report of the Department of Health supplies interesting figures based on the annual returns of hospital .boards, supplemented by data affecting the Department's own institutions and its activities relating to those of hospital boards. The various institutions differ considerably in the relative proportions of chronic and acute cases and in the numerous classes of medical and surgical cases, but the bulk figures may safely be taken as an indication of the increased costs. The details of the total cost of hospitals and the charitable aid to public funds for the years ending 1935, 1936, and 1937 (the latter estimated) are given as follows: —Levies on local authorities, £601,715, £621,271, £715,237; Government subsidies on levies, £593,998, £621,308, £746,035; other expenditure (net) out of the Department's own vote for hospital and charitable purposes, £118,132, £127,106, £137,208; totals, £1,313,845, £1,369,685. £1,598,480.

The burden on the public of such hospital and charitable relief as is administered either by hospital boards or by the Department is represented by the levies made on contributory local authorities by hospital boards to meet their estimated deficits, both capital and maintenance; the subsidy paid thereon by the Government; and such other expenditure (net) from the Department's vote as pertains to treatment or relief as distinguished from health expenditure—for example, cost of Department's own institutions; pertinent grants in aid; Native medical and nursing services; dental clinics; various small miscellaneous expenditure; and a proportitan of administrative cost. The incidence of the burden is shown as follows since 1927: — Levies on local Govt. Per Authorities, total. Total head. Total £ £ £ £ s. d. 1926-27 562,718 721,141 1,283,859 0 IS 1 1927-28 626,127 513,067 1,439,101 0 19 11 1928-20 675, IVS 536,143 1,531,383 110 1929-30 68S,2'i> 595.490 1,583,769 115 1930-31 695.264 896,251 1,591,513 1 1 ». 1931-32 ' 564,135 711,801 1.275,936 0 17 0 1932-33 578,901 732,507 1,311,463 0 17 3 1933-34 586.318 727,331 1,313,640 0 17 2 1934-3.") (101,715 712,130 1,313,845 0 16 11 1935-36 621.271 748,414 1,369,685 0 17' 5 1936-37 713,237 883,243 1,598,480 10 4 (estimated)

The average total cost per patient treated was £10 14s for 1935-36, as compared with £10 4s for the previous year. . .