Patients And Hospitals

Northern Advocate, 25 June 1937, Page 10

Patients And Hospitals

A visitor to Whangarei, speaking to an “Advocate” representative, made interesting reference to the admittance of patients to hospitals. His wife requires hospital treatment, and he wished her to become a patient at the Whangarei District Hospital, as all her friends live in this town. He owns and pays rates in his own name on one property in Whangarei, while he also pays rates in partnership on two properties, but his present home is Just, on the Hobson side of the boundary between Hobson, and Whangarei counties. When he made inquiry about his wife’s admission to the Whangarei hospital, he was told that the fees would be £4 4s het per week. He thought this was hard when local people living within the Whangarei Hospital Board’s area are only charged £3 3s pep week, with a 10 per cent, discount if paid within 60 days. He was informed, however that he had a legal right to send his wife to the Te Kopuru hospital, because his home was in that hospital district. It is 25 miles from his home to the Whangarei hospital, and 39 miles to the Te Kopuru hospital. In view of the fact that the zoning of pream suppliers was brought into effect to save unnecessary traffic on the roads, the visitor conisdered that a similar scheme should be made to apply to hospital government. Patients at hospitals, as a rule, he said, have many visitors, and it was only natural for a patient to desire to be near friends. In his wife’s case, the visitor pointed out that if her friends had to go from Whangarei to the Te Kopuru hospital to see her, there would be still more wear and tear on the roads.