HAWERA HOSPITAL BOARD.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXVIII, Issue LXXVIII, 25 July 1919, Page 7

HAWERA HOSPITAL BOARD.

SPECIAL MEETING

A special meeting was held this morning at the Board's office. There were present: Messrs G. W. Tayler (chairman), F. Gillanders, C. Hawken, E. J. Gifford, A. T. Wills, R. J. Linn, A. L. Campbell, T. A. Bridge, and the secretary (Mr Haggett). Mr J. J. Meldon was granted leave of absence. THE AMBULANCE. This question came up as the result of a garage account which cams up for settlement. Mr Gillanders said that the ambulance appeared to be at the beck and call of anyone. It was necessary to make a reasonable charge. The chairman said that it had been the practice in Eltham that if a private doctor used the ambulance he had to pay, but if it were a case of sending a patient to the public hospital no charge was made. He considered it was a good move for the Board to cater for the use of the ambulance whenever required by making a scale cf charges. Mr Gifford said that people who could pay should be charged more than poor people. It was resolved that Messrs Gillanders and Linn draw up. a scale of charges and report to next ordinary meeting. GENERAL. A report was received from Constable Nuttall on the ease of an epidemic Maori widow living on the Fraser road, who was left with five young children, strongly urging that assistance be given. Mr Gillanders said that this was an epidemic case, and that natives should come under the Native Department. In view of the urgency of the case it was resolved to make a temporary allowance of £1 per week, and that Mr Campbell make further enquiries in the matter. It was also decided that the secretary write to the Minister of Public Health and to the Native Minister, sending; a copy of the report, pointing I out that it was an urgent case de- | serving of assistance. Mr Crighton, secretary of the Returned Soldiers' Association, waited on the Board in reference to the case of a mother of a returned soldier who died some weeks ago. He said that the deceased soldier was fit when he went away, and returned unfit for work; The Pensions Board would give no assistance because the illness was due to a pre-war disability. The daughter was in the hospital, and the mother worried about the hospital fees. The chairman said he could assure Mr Crighton there was no need for the mother to worry. He added that the Board were endeavoring to send her daughter to Otaki Sanatorium. !He considered the Defence Department should help. He understood the Patriotic Committee had been granting a weekly amount to the mother, and hoped they would continue to do so. He. trusted the Board would be able to impress on the Department their duty to assist this case. > Mr Wills said this was a clear case for Government assistance. He considered it an absolute scandal that they had not done so. The Returned Soldiers' Association had made repref:enations. but without success. Mr Gifford said there was no doubt the Government were the party who should pay. An application by the resident surgeon_ for an increase in salary was considered in committee, and on resuming it was reported that the salary would be increased to £500 per annum. The Board then adjourned, after devoting some considerable time to going carefully through the list of amounts due for hospital fees. It had been decided to write off all that were considered irrecoverable.