INCREASED HOSPITAL FEES.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 3830, 11 August 1928, Page 3

INCREASED HOSPITAL FEES.

ADOPTED BY PALMERSTON HOSPITAL BOARD. POOR NOT AFFECTED. After giving due notice of motion and allowing members ample time for consideration, Mr. J. K. Hornblow, of Foxton, moved the following motion at Thursday’s meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board: “That this Board’s hospital maintenance fees be increased from nine shillings per day for adults to twelve shillings per day, and from four shillings and sixpence per day for children under twelve years' of age, to six shillings per day. Such increase to take place from October 1, 1928.” In moving the motion, Mr. Hornblow stated that the matter had already been widely discussed and criticised, while every membei’, he thought, had given it his deepest consideration. He therefore did not propose to speak at length upon the subject. A lot had been said about the additional expense of hospital maintenance and it had been suggested by some of the contributing bodies that in order to relieve the levies, the fees of the Board should be increased. OPEN TO ALL. . “We know that the cost per patient is about 15/- per day,” said Mr. Hornblow. “We will have to consider that now that hospitals have been thrown open to all classes of the community, there are numbers of people who could afford to pay for its use who should be made to pay what is considered a fair thing. If the original idea of the hospitals were .carried out — that they were only for the indigent poor —there would be no necessity for such a motion as this. We would all have to pay for our poor but now it has been laid down that the doors of the hospital are open to all classes of the community. We have in New Zealand what are probably the most up-to-date hospitals in the world to-dav. While we have that, it naturally follows that those who can pay must be asked to pay a fair thing. WILL NOT MAKE IT HARDER. “It does not follow that if we increase the fees slightly we will make it hard for those unable to pay for it must be remembered that every case will, as before, be treated on its merits. “When we consider that to-day one in every twenty of the mean population of the Dominion, is making use of the public hospitals in some way or another we can see what is being done.” Continuing, Mr. Hornblow stated that some of the criticism of the Board had been to the effect that if proper care was taken in the collection of fees, more revenue would be brought in. As' far as this Board was concerned, lie would point out that the proportion of their collections was one of the highest in New. Zealand. Again, it must be remembered that the honorary medical staff gave their services free to the institution, a state of affairs which people could not expect to continue. FORCED UPON US. “Personally speaking,” said the chairman of the Board, Sir James Wilson, “I am very reluctant, to agree to such a proposal but it seems to me that it is forced upon us. I have always held out against raising the fees because I felt that people'wflio were unfortunate enough to go into hospital, should be able to do so a a easily as possible. However, I am afraid we cannot avoid it’; we have to provide the means for the most scientific treatment we can obtain. While the number of patients has increased, provisions, staff, overhead expenses and everything else has increased.”

COLLECTIONS NOT AS GREAT. Mi-. G. A. Monk stated that, while he intended to support the motion, he could see several difficulties that would arise from it. The difficulty was that it was the sick person upon whom the extra liability vvas to be imposed. Personally, he did not think that they would be able to collect the same proportion as at present if they raised the fees. At the same time, costs had all increased and they had to keep pace with the latest scientific developments in order to render the best service. * He felt therefore impelled to support the motion while hoping that it would turn out as well as Mr. Hornblow expected. ON ITS MERITS. As the discussion concluded, Mr. Hornblow remarked: “I only hope it will not go out that we are trying to inflict any hardship upon those unfortunate people who want to pay but who cannot do so. I can (only repeat that as before, cfery ease will be treated on its merits.” The motion was carried.