SOUTH OTAGO HOSPITALS

Evening Star, Issue 22878, 9 February 1938, Page 14

SOUTH OTAGO HOSPITALS

BOARD S MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the South Otago Hospital (Board was held yesterday, Mr A. Rennie presiding. Dr D, Q. Radchffe, medical superintendent, reported on admissions and discharges for the month of January as follows: —Balclutha . hospital: Admissions 72, discharges 74, remaining 43, x-rays 16, massage 73. Milton: Admissions 17, discharges 21, remaining 6. Owaka: Admissions 24, discharges 23, remaining 7. Kaitangata: Admissions 8, discharges 9. remaining 2, outpatients B..—Adopted. The treasurer reported that receipts for the month totalled £l,Bll 5s 6d and expenditure £1,833 18s Bd. The debit balance at date was £320 Os 3d, compared with a debit of £336 19s 4d on January Ist.—Received. The secretary of the Ashburton Hospital Board wrote asking for the board’s -co-operation in having monthly reports on the_ condition of patients from outside districts being treated in the board’s institutions supplied in addition to the first notification. —Members considered thq suggestion a good one and it was decided to co-operate with the Ashburton board in this matter. The secretary referred to an answer to a correspondent in which it was said that hospital treatment was really free to those who were not in a position to pay fees, but that efforts were made to collect them.—He said this was not correct and was likely to convey a wrong impression. Free treatment was only given after the board had made inquiries and then agreed to remit the fees.—Mr H. Brough supported the secretary and said a protest should be made. If statements of this kind went out it would make it more difficult to collect fees.—Mr D. M ‘Gregor referred to cases from South Otago going to Dunedin, where the South Otago Board had to pay higher maintenance rates. It was said that these cases were urgent, hut if they could go to Dunedin they could travel equally as well to their own hospitals where they had facilities. If a case went to Dunedin it should not be a charge on the South Otago board unless a certificate had been procured from their own medical men.—The secretary mentioned that the hoard had that morning decided that patients going to Dunedin would in future be charged the Otago hoard’s maintenance nates, namely 15s a day.— Mr F. Waite said the statement in the paper was right, as it was a fact that if a person could not pay he received hospital treatment free. He agreed that the board decided whether the patient fould pay or not, hut if they could not agree then the magistrate had the final say.—The chairman said every case was dealt with on its merits.—Mr M'Gregor said it was hard to determine who could pay and who could not. The hoard was reluctant to take people to court and there were some who could pay something off their accounts who took advantage of this and would pay nothing. —lt was decided to protest against the statement.

The matter of paying a visit to Waipiata sanatorium was brought up, and Mr M'Gregor said that at last meeting he had moved that the board visit Waipiata, the board to pay for the car and members_ to pay their own expenses. They paid visits to their own hospitals annually, and he did not think it too much to visit Waipiata annually, as they were associated in the administration of the institution. It was five years since a visit had been made, and they were out of touch with affairs there. It was their duty to go, and he was quite prepared to pay his own expenses, the board to pay for the car.— The Chairman said he was quite willing to pay his expenses.—Mr Waite said the board was represented on the Waipiata Board by the chairman quite capably, and there was no necessity for the trip and the spending of ratepayers’ money.—Mr A. Hams said they were pretty often putting their hand in the other fellow’s pocket, and it was time they put their hand in their own, and if they wanted the trip they should pay for it themselves.—Mr Fenton objected to the statement that they were putting their hand in the other fellow’s podket. > He lost a day’s work every time he came to a meeting of the board, and received £l, out of which he had to pay his own expenses. What would happen to Ministers and members of Parliament if they had to pay their own expenses? Members of the board gave their services gratuitously. Waipiata sanatorium was part and parcel of the board’s work, and they should visit it and see for themselves what was being done in the way of improvements and development. Ho would second Mr M‘Gregor’s motion. Tho ratepayers would look at it in a reasonable light; they were not squandering the money. The board had built good institutions, and the ratepayers had every facility for treatment, and their rates were not as high as they would be paying if they were still under the Otago Board.—Mr M'Kenzie said when the time put in and the days lost on hospital business was considered he did not see any reason why they should not make the visit.—Mr T. Russell considered they should get their expenses paid if they went to Waipiata. —Mr Harris pointed out that everything spent came out of the ratepayers’ pocket, and they had made a substantial increase in rates last year.—-On bcing put to the meeting the motion was lost, those voting for it being Messrs M'Gregor, Fenton, Russell, and M'Kenzie, while those against were Messrs Harris, Brough, Waite, Sutherland, and King. At the conclusion of the meeting members of the board paid a visit of inspection to the Balclutha Hospital.