HOSPITAL BOARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 109, 8 April 1926, Page 8

HOSPITAL BOARD

ANNUAL MEETING. INCREASED LEVIES. The annual meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board was hold at the hospital office, Terrace street, this afternoon, there being present: Sir James Wilson (chairman), Mrs L. A. Abraham, Messrs J. K. Hornblow, J. H. Vincent, D. Collis, M. A. Moody. J. T. Foil as, L. T. McLean, F. J. ltyder and F. Pycroft. Addressing the board on the estimates, the chairman pointed out that local bodies’ contributions would bo a good deal more this year than last — about 20 per cent. The actual_ receipts last year had been £1714 7s 2d in advance of those for the year preceding, and recoveries from patients now provided for one-third of the cost of the hospital, proving that the new system of collection of fees was a success. • With 'the present office staff £BOOO could bo collected from patients in the coming year, but the secretary considered that, if he was allowed to spend a further ten per cent, on additional office staffing, a further £2OOO could bp collected. More machinery was needed to deal with the great number of accounts on the books. At March 31, approximately £35,000 was being carried forward in book debts and, during the past year, accounts totalling £13,000 had been finalised—- ■ either paid or written off. The reasons why this year’s levy was £3OOO over the average for the past three years were that maintenance expenditure showed an unavoidable increase in respect to patients and staff, and owing to an amended scale of salaries for nurses and to the introduction of the superannuation scheme. There was, too, an increase in the maintenance of patients in Government institutions (chiefly sanatoria) and a further small increase in charitable aid which was merely the resuPt of the growth of the district, and, again, an all-round increase in the board’s activities.

It was interesting to note that, at all hospitals in New Zealand of more than 75 beds, the cost per patient was in excess of £ll except at Palmerston North, where for the past year 2428 patients were treated at a cost of £22,001, an average of £9 3s per patient.

The Mangahao Medical Association was self-supporting, the chairman mentioned. The hospital laboratory cost some £IOOO a year, but was a valuable adjunct in which connection Mr Cooper was doing most excellent work.

A comparison oT the proposed levies for 1926-27, with those for last year in parentheses, was as follows: Maintenance, £17,053 18s 6d (£13,521 17s 2d); capital levy, £2701 0s 8d (£3725).