CONTROL OF HOSPITALS

Hawera Star, Volume LII, 19 November 1932, Page 6

CONTROL OF HOSPITALS

REDUCTION IN DISTRICTS INQUIRY BY COMMISSION POWERS UNDER, NEW BILL. VARIOUS CHANGES IN LAW. Numerous alterations 'in the law governing hospital boards,’ administration in Now Zealand are contained in the Hospital and Charitable Institutions Amendment Bill introduced and read the first time m the House of Representatives on Thursday. Power for the reduction of the number of hospital board districts, if this is recommended by a speciallyappointed commission, is one of trie principal sections contained in the Bill. The Bill contains authority for the appontmeut of a Government commission consisting of a magistrate alone, or a magistrate and two other persons to inquire into the following questions :

(a), Whether any two or more contiguous Hospital districts should be reconstituted so as to form a smaller number of district..

(b) Whether the boundaries of districts 'should he altered. (c) Whether any institution under the control or a hospital board should be closed or whether the forms of relief given by this institution should be restricted. (d) Whether two or more hospital boards should combine to establish or maintain any institution. In recommending ' the closing of an institution or the restriction of its_ relef, the commission must he convinced that the relief being given is m excess of requirements. If a commission recommends, the Governor-General may by Ok'dea-in-Gouncil abolish any two or more contiguous hospital districts and constitute a smaller number of districts or one new district comprising the. whole of the area included in the hospital districts abolished. Acting on a commission’s recommendation, he may also alter the boundaries of any two - or more contiguous districts by excluding any county from any such district and including it in another district. Further, if it is thought fit to adopt a commission's reoominlendlations, j either* to close an institution or to restrict the forms of relief (granted in ! the (institution, Orders-in-C'ouneil to .that effect may be issued, but no j greater restrictions shall be imposed [than those recommended. I Another clause provides that hoards may he directed to combine to establish or maintain any institution which a single board may have established, but again such action may only he taken on the recomniiendatioii of a , commission. Such an institution shall be vested in one of the boards to be specified in the Ordea*-in-Council. The

forms of relief to be granted in such an institution may be specified by the Governor-General, and it shall be the duty of each, contributory board to utilise the institution, so. far as accommodation is available, for the reception or relief of persons requiring the forms of relief specified. Previously a person was ineligible to sit on a hospital hoard if lie received from any contract made by the hoard over £5 in the case of a, single contract, or £lO altogether in any financial year m the case of two or more contracts. A clause in the Bill extends those limits to £25 and £SO respectively. Another clause gives the right to hospital boards to contract with their officers and servants regarding their tenure of office, but any such agreement .shall not exceed three years although the right of renewing it is given.

1 At the present time boards apply ' to the Valuer-Genera] at the beginning l of the financial year for a list of the f (rateable value of their districts in order to strike rates. However, if this - (list were supplied at that time it 3 would be received too late for the - rates to be struck. Thus the Valuers'General approximates the valuations •as at December 31, instead of at s March 31. This custom has been ob- • served for a number of years, and a , claus e in the Bill validates the con- - tinuance of the practice. To clear up a legal doubt, a clause expressly states that it shall be the • duty of every hospital board at the • direction of the Director-General of ’ Health to provide and maintain such maternity hospitals and to make such ■ other provision for maternity cases as lie may consider requisite in any pan. ' of tile hospital district, but no action foiu Id ain ages shall lie against the board for its failure to conform to these requirements. An alteration is made to the clause in the principal Act relating to the relief by a board of persons not resident in its district for at least three months. In such cases the board giving the relief is entitled to recover the cost from the board in whose district the recipient last resided for a period of one year. A clause in the Bill extends the period of three months to six months. At present the cost ot such relief cannot be recovered bv one 1 board from the board administering a contiguous district, but it is now proposed to remove that restriction. The cost to a hospital board of relief granted to an injured person shall be a charge on any damages to which that person is entitled. Every such charge shall be enforceable to action by the hospital hoard itself. Under the present legislation separate institutions, of which the Jubilee Institute for the Blind at Auckland furnishes the most notable illustration, al'e legally unable to borrow on 1 bank overdraft in anticipation of reye- < nue. It was explained by the Min- i ister when bringing the Bill in that 1 with the consent of the trustees of the institution, the Audit Office and him- \ self such overdrafts had been arrange- i od. 1

However, to make such action valid a clause is inserted in the Bill to the effect that a separate institution nrav borrow by way of overdraft a sum not exceeding one quarter of the previous year’s revenue. Incidentally, tne final clause in the Bill changes the name of the Jubilee Institute for the Blind to the New Zealand Institute for the Blind.'