NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1929. A TAX ON HOSPITALS

Northern Advocate, 20 August 1929, Page 4

NORTHERN ADVOCATE DAILY

TUESDAY, AUGUST 20, 1929. A TAX ON HOSPITALS

Registered for Transmission Through the Post as a Newspaper.

The frequency of motor accidents is constituting a : public hospital problem in the Old Country, as it is, though to a lesser degree, in New Zealand. A questionnaire was recently sent to a number of hospital authorities in Britain for the purpose of ascertaining whether the position was really as serious as reports made it appear to be. The “Manchester'Guardian” published a number of the answers, which show that many institutions are suffering a heavy drain on their finances; that very few of those who are admitted as the result of motor accidents contribute anything to the cost of their treatment, and that most hospital authorities are agreed that some plan to ensure payment is necessary. Some of the answers are decidedly illuminating. The Royal Victoria Infirmary at Newcastle-upon-Tyne last year treated 1301 motor accident eases, of which 436 had to be admitted as in-patients. It costs the hospital roughly £3OOO a year to treat and maintain eases of this description, and the amount received by way of subscriptions and donations for . this kind of work is about £47 a year, but in addition the motorists in the district last year organised a scheme by which every motorist bought a half-crown badge for putting on his car, and from this source the hospital received £SOO. The Manchester Royal Infirmary treated 140 cases as in-patients at a cost of £1196. and received contributions a mountin g to £152. An coats Hospital received £l2 to meet a cost of £329. A Jewish hospital received £SO to meet a cost of £450. The Salford Royal Hospital treated 111 in-patients-at a cost of £712 and all they contributed was £IOO. The Stockport Infirmary reported that 15,60 per cent, of its beds wore occupied by motor accident eases and that all it received from the patients was £79 10s to meet costs totalling £IOBS, which included nothing to moot certain overhead charges. The work of this department had grown to such an extent that it had been found necessary" to spend £9OOO in erecting and equipping a new building. The Bradford Royal Infirmary received £25 from in-patients whose treatment cost £1174. The Ashtonunder Lyne Infirmary treated 146 cases costing £B4l and received loss than £IOO from the patients. The Altrincham General Hospital had boeil compolled to undertake a scheme for enlargeihcnt to accommodate these cases, ton of which had boon admitted one day will in a space of throe hours. In 1027 it had ,144 such cases, costing £IOOO, for which it received only £SO. The Royal Infirmary at Derby had 100 rases costing £1799 and the contributions totalled £B4, The Leeds General Infirmary treated 1135 motor accident cases costing £4307, and all it received was £167, The Sunderland Infirmary received 190 cases costing £655, and received practically nothing. Other answers were of a similar nature. The British Hospitals Association considers that the best method to cheek this drain on hospital resources would be an increase in -the cost of driving licences and the pooling of the extra money each year for division among hospitals in proportion to the number of motor accident cases received, Some authorities maintain that hospitals should participate in an award of damages for a motor accident. Ini a recent case a Judge at Assize ordered that £l6O of the damages given should be paid to the hospital where the plaintiff was treated, but another judge has held that a jury cannot award special damages to a hospital. The problem confronting New Zealand public hospitals, which arc maintained by the State, may be regarded as less serious than that which confronts the hospitals in Britain, where the institutions are maintained by voluntary subscriptions, but such reasoning is not sound, for mot only do motor accident cases make undue demand upon hospital accommodation and staff, but non-payment of foes places an added'burden upon

the taxpayers. It is desirable that moans should he devised whereby hospital (boards may be able to claim portion of compensation or insurance drawn by the victim of a motor accident.