HOSPITAL ACTIVITIES

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1074, 22 July 1924, Page 4

HOSPITAL ACTIVITIES

CHAIRMAN’S ANNUAL REPORT POSITION OUTLINED, At yesterday’s qwtiog of the Palmer stan North Hospital Board, the chairman, Sir James Wilson, presented hi* annual report which, inter alia, was fol,Q“Swne comment lias been made with reference to the amount, of the levies by one or two contributory bodies- It was on ojte occasion stated that this was eaqspd by > H extravagance of the rpapagPfMeqt, >- hoard desires me to outline our position not bv way of ejccuse, for we are satisfied that ‘all expenditure is serutmsed most closely, and consistent with efficiency, there is no item that, cun he called extravagance, but bv way of explanation as to the work of the hospital. The hospital Board has to work under an Act and carry out its provision'. Parliament passed the Act and tfte hoard has to ohev it: the powers given to the Health Department arc so great that, unless the provisions of the Act are carried out. by the board, there is ampie means provided whioh enable the fJcalth Departmerit, to force the hoard to .carry out t|ie duties laid down, Some of the provisions in llie Act the board thinks unfair but it has to abide by them. The schedule of the Act. provides that, according to expenditure and rateable capital value, the subsidy acts on a sliding scale, so that under the present scale some boards get 14s. subsidy upon levies and other boards get 26*. llo*, in itself is an injustice because the health of ihe people should be a Government matter and c-anpot he a local one. ’the hoard’s subsidy has been on t|ie lowest scale and our contributors have had to find the balance. For the present year, the subsidy is 15* in tho £ and this is an unfair rate when such subsidy is paid upon that portion of the levy which goes to pay interest upon the money the board lias had to borrow when necessary additions were made. Had we levied the whole sum the department would have paid £ for £ hut, because we could not levy the amount required as the local bodies could not have found the money from rates, the department treats interests expenditure as maintenance and the'subsidy is at the rate of 15s. The board has on every possible occasion protested against this unfair schedule —especially a* to the subsidy on interest, money—but without avail. ALTERATION IN ACT WANTED. "The contributory bodies could assist the board by usking the members of Parliament in the hospital district to secure an alteration of the Act which would materially reduce the call we have to make upon them. Taking the figures of the last departmental report for the year ending 31st. March, 1923, the Government subsidy was £9542 against the levies £14655. Quoting from tlie same source, the average cost per occupied bed over tho whole Dominion is £184.5, the cost in the Palmerston North Hospital is £134, or 10s. undor the average. Otaki, which is run by the department (and we pay 9*. per day for patients), shows an expenditure of £279.1 per bed. In the column showing the rate of levy per £1 rateable capital value, our levy is 0.114 of a penny; the only other hospital district lower is Ashburton, which is 0.110 of u penny. It is well to point out also the cost per patient which 'each contributory body pays, namely, the amount of the maintenance levy divided by the patients sent from the district in order that tho public may see how the iystern works: — Cost per

INTEREST CHARGE MANDATORY “The board desires to point out that the charging of interest is mandatory and has to iie enforced, but it is renlly as broad as it is long. Hitherto, when delay took place in the payment of the lfevy, the ijoaid had to have recourse to an overdraft on which interest bed to be met. At the end of the year this sometimes amounted to a considerable sum, thus making liie hospital expenditure larger and, in consequence. the levies had to be greater than if there was a credit to meet the expenditure. If the local body saved interest .it had to be charged for by the board and tiie levy increased by tiie amount of interest paid. The rate of interest paid is fixed by the Minister of Finance and not the board, but the latter is bound by the Art to charge interest: if it did not the auditor would not pass the accounts. The board wishes it known therefore that, if any contributory body is charged interest, it is thi Act of Parliament that prescribes the system and not the board LEVY A TAX ON LOCAL BODIES.

“Despite the low rate of levy (,114d per ill iff tiie capital value) the board is fully aware iliac it is a great tax upon local bodies. The policy of the Hospitals' Act is, however, that of Parliament and the board lias nothing to do with the taxation to meet expenditure. Tiie responsibility rests with tiie Government of tho day. The hourd cannot hold out any hope of a reduction of expenditure, indeed, when year by year the duties are increased, the expenditure must rise. Yet, from the long experience which the member-* hare hail, it is certain that-, were ‘he whole cost of hospital treatment to oe paid out of ihe Consolidated Fund, it would mean m the end an abolition of the boards. wKich would be a calamity. The. cost would be greatly increased, and the want of public interest would inevitably lead to indifference. Tiie success of ’he adtiiinistratiin of the hospitals of New Zealand ha s been largely due to the fact that they have been entirely free from politics, and have been managed bv expe-'ieneod inen amt wctr.cn who have devoted their time to the v-.rk with assiduity.

“The board has perhaps been lenimt in tiie collection of fees during the ie.ui years which we have just passed through, but is now taking active steps, wherever tiie patient’s circumstances enable him to meet nis account, to ensure collection. However, those concerned may rest assured that the fullest enquiry is nutd-s nt cacr case by the board's officials before an; pressure is brought to boar.”

Local Body. Levy. Patients Patient £ s. cl. Kiwitea 1613.583 35 46 2 i I’ohangina 831.65 13 63 19 6 Oroua 1489.7 138 10 15 11 Manawatu 1635.032 67 25 3 0 Kairanga 2265.141 145 15 12 Horowhenua .... 2491.9 127 19 12 5 I'>i tiling 465.616 161 2 17 10 Palmerston X. 2468.704 859 2 17 6 l'oxton 124.645 82 1 10 5 Shannon 83.7 90 18 S Levin 259.662 68 3 16 4 Otaki 144.662 11 13 3 0 Hongotea 18.720 48 7 10