HOSPITAL BENEFITS

Grey River Argus, 22 June 1939, Page 8

HOSPITAL BENEFITS

Canterbury Position EFFECTS ON BOARDS ECONOMY. CHRISTCHURCH. June 21. Less than half the people who receive treatment, at the North Canterbury Hospital Board’s institutions will be entitled to free service' under the Social Security scheme. The free service covers those who are in-patients, including' those at the sanatorium, but it does not yet make provision for out-patients, who are quite half and probably more than half of the numoer of persons tended at the hospital. Out-patients are those who are not admitted to hospital, but call for treatment. They may be people who call for treatment after slight accidents or who come for treatment in the ’ X-ray, pathological, massage, splint, cardiograph, and radium and deep therapy departments, and for attendance for skin, ear, nose and throat troubles, dressings, etc. They also include dental patients, and those who follow up.

Without including the full figures from the massage, X-ray, radium, and deep therapy and pathological departments, and quite apart from the 5273 dental patients, there were over the year ended March 31 7654 out-pat-ients, according to figures supplied on request at the hospital oflice yesterday. Their attendances were 46,038. The number of in-patients lor the year was 8206, and there is less than 50 per cent of all persons treated who will come within the free service. This percentage does not take into account the large number of patients at the dental department. The dental department, with its 5276 patients last year, and the pathological department with 3110 patients, are two of the largest out-patient services. There will, nevertheless, continue to be free service available to persons who can pass the means test which has been in existence for some time. If they can prove inability to pay they may have free treatment, but the" Social Security scheme does not at present provide free service for them. Though it is yet impossible to reach an accurate estimate it is likely I hat the payment of 6/- a day for each inpatient out of the Social Security fund will give the North Canterbury Board a sum not far from £30,000 in addition to its present income. Nevertheless, with rapidly rising costs, and certainly if payment of the honorary staffs is to be made, this sum will soon be absorbed in extra costs. There is also heavy capital expenditure to be undertaken.

OAMARU POSITION. OAMARU, June 21. “We were hoping that the allowance made for each patient would be such as would afford some relief to local ratepayers. It is doubtful if this will be so,”'said the chairman of the Waitaki Hospital Board (Mr. W. Forrester), commenting on the hospital benefits scheme at the Board’s monthly meeting yesterday. Mr. Forrester, in a report to the meeting, discussed in detail the effect on the loca board of the scheme announced by the Minister for Health (the Hon. P. Fraser).

i Discussing the maintenance payments at 6/- a day, Mr. Forrester said that this would be equivalent to twothirds of the maintenance charges, excluding operations and X-ray fees. At present there was apparently no provision for out-patients’ treatment, for which the public would have co pay as usual. “It should be noted that no mention is made of allowance for capital expenditure on buildings, and we must assume that the costs under this heading will be met as at present—approximately one-halt by I the Health Department and one-hall (by local rates. Our proportion of fees 'collected is 3/8 a day, but it is not | known definitely what additional bur dens the board will have to face whic.i will offset the gain in receipts. "It should be borne in mind tnar the Oamaru Hospital maintenance charge is very much lower than many of the hospitals in the Dominion—9/a day and charges for operations and X-ray examinations, compared witn 12/- charged by most others,” he continued. “One direction in which it would appear our expenditure will be cut down is in our payments to the Waipiata Sanatorium. As the maintenance charged to the board is dav it would appear that we would only be responsible for the difference of 1/- a day. But it is impossible to say what the net result will be. Capital charges for new buildings, etc., at Waipata will still be a charge on the associated boards.