THE PALMERSTON HOSPITAL.

Manawatu Standard, Volume 9189, Issue XLI, 14 April 1910, Page 5

THE PALMERSTON HOSPITAL.

AN INTERESTING DISCUSSION,

An interesting discussion took place at yesterday's meeting of the Manawatu County Council, in connection with the Palmerston Hospital. The chairman (Mr J. G. Wilson), who is also chairman of the Palmerston Hospital said he could hold out no hope of a reduction in the cost of maintenance of the hospital. The steam laundry, for the erection of which an additional levy had been agreed to last year by the local bodies, was now in use, and it was doing very good work and lessening the strain on a portion of the staff, it was not going to make any reduction in the outlay. The ordinary and special levy last year totalled £543, and this year the amount would be £340, or about the same as in previous years.

Speaking incidentally on hospital matters. Cr. R. M. . McKenzie said ho would like to know whether the 1 hospital was for ratepayers generally or only for those who could not afford to pay for medical treatment. His idea of a public hospital was that it was a place equipped with the, finest nursing staff, the latest and best appliances for battling with disease, and the cleverest medical talent it was possible to procure. So that those who chose to go there would be in a position to get the best treatment. While those conditions, he believed, obtained at the Palmerston Hospital, he understood that only those who had nothing were admitted there, and whenever a patient desired to pay he was compelled to go to a private hospital. Of course, the charge for paying patients was ridiculously low —£1 4s 6d a week, to include doctor's fees and all. When they know private hospitals charged from three to six guineas a week, without doctor's fees, and did not grow rich on that, they could understand how small the charge was. He considered that there should be three grades of patients—those who could not pay, those who could pay a moderate fee, and those who could pay the same fees as at private hospitals. He asked the Chairman what the practice was in the London Hospitals.

Mr Wilson replied that he understood all the large public hospitals in London were for patients who could not afford to pay for medical treatment. G'r. McKenzio was wrong in assuming that only those who could not pay were admitted to the Palmorston Hospital—no ono was refused admission. All they had to say was that they could not pay for private treatment, and they were admitted" without hesitation, and were only asked to pay £1 4s 6d per week. While he felt a good deal of sympathy, for tho attitude Cr. McKenzie took up, they must remember that their first care' was for those who had nothing at all, .and if they made distinctions as to the amount patients had to pay trouble would arise, because the poorer class of patients were being neglected in favour of those who paid more. —The discussion then dropped.