HOSPITAL TREATMENT

Evening Star, Issue 18852, 29 January 1925, Page 2

HOSPITAL TREATMENT

PRIVATE PAYING WARDS. CHRISTCHURCH ENDORSES THE SYSTEM. [Special to tee ‘ Star.’] CHRISTCHURCH, January 28. The. provision of private paying wards at Christchurch Hospital was discussed by the North Canterbury Hospital Board to-day, and the Finance Committee was recommended to make early provision for such wards. Mr S. Andrew moved that it be a recommendation to the Finance Committee to make early provision for the establishment of private paying wards to meet the urgent need of a large section of ratepayers who are at present excluded from receiving the benefit of the up-to-date facilities provided at the Christchurch' Hospital. Mr Andrew said that tho hospitals were costing a large amount of money, and public opinion demanded that a very high standard of treatment should be kept up. It was found that those who paid the largest amount of rates for these special facilities were not able to Save the advantage of them. In many cases they had to undergo second-class treatment. The opinion of a large majority of the ratepayers was in favor of the suggestion, and (he number of private beds provided in Christchurch was quite inadequate. It would be necessary to fix a fee for paying patients. The present fee was about 9s a day. It might bo that fees would have to bo increased, and then remitted for those who could not pay. Taking the dominion ns a whole, about £200,000 was collected in hospital fees, and over £1,000,000 was collected in hospital rates. The Chairman fMr H. J. Oiler) said he had been in favor of private wards for the hospital for many rears. The people who found the money for the hospital were unable to use the hospital, except in special departments. The cottage hospitals wore open to everyone, and he would like to emphasise that, because they had not been used so much ns had been expected. There was not going to he enough private accommodation for patients in the district, and the hoard should provide accommodation. The new private ward should provide this accommodation. It should be a paying proposition, because nobody would go into it unless they could pay. The first thing to hr done, however, was to find accommodation for the nurses. It was no use thinking of sotting up another ward until provision was made to keep more nurses. That was the key of the position. The matter of finance would also have io lie considered, hut there was no doubt that the time had arrived when the hospital would have to provide for all in the district The motion was carried without dissent.

In (he course of an address to the board later in the meeting Dr G. J. Blaekmnre staled that private paving wards wore attached to all public hospitals in Canada. Nobody in Canada would ever think of reverting to the old method of being treated outside (he public hospital, where very fine arrangements were made for the treatment of patients in private wards.