Sitting Till Midnight To Pass Estimates

Northern Advocate, 12 October 1949, Page 2

Sitting Till Midnight To Pass Estimates

WELLINGTON, Wed. (P.A.).—The House of Representatives sat until well after midnight in order to pass the last of the departmental estimates for the year 1949-50. These were the votes for the Department of Labour, the Mines Department, the State Coal Mines Account, the Department of Health, the Social Security Fund (medical, hospital and allied benefits). Department of Industries and Commerce and Economic

Mr E. P. Aclerman (O—New Plymouth'. initiating discussion' of the Health Department estimates, said he estimated that £10,892,345 was to be spent this year on health, including social security charges.

That amounted to £9/7/- per head of the population, and with the levy on local bodies and the additional money paid by patients for treatment, the expenditure would be £ll per head, There was a grave staff shortage in practically every one of the 11 divisions of the Department of Health. NUMBER OF BEDS The number of hospital beds had increased to 10,416, or 9.2 per 1000 of the population, while 1000 beds were closed because of staff shortages. It was pitiful to read the report of the Mental Hygiene Division. A great deal of dislocation had occurred because the type of accommodation required at hospitals could not be made available, said Mr Aderman. He understood the Minister had already given authority for new buildings to cost £23,000,000, but what was the prospect of having those buildings erected?

He predicted that by the time urgent priorities had been met, from 80 to 90 per cent of the existing buildings would be out of date. AWAIT ADMISSION

On the other side of the picture, many people—6soo in the four main cities according to a recent report—were awaiting admission to hospitals for surgical treatment. They had little prospect of admission for some time to come. Mr Aderman suggested that the Minister must seek new .reasons for the overcrowding of hospitals. There were many cases of aged and ether persons whose need was primarily for rest, who occupied beds in hospitals to the exclusion of others needing surgical care. Mr W T. Anderton (Cl—Auckland Central) said there was need for improvement. for reorganisation and reorientation. He was alarmed at the amount of hospitalisation which took place In, cases where other institutional care j would be preferable He suggested that the examination standards for nurses might be relaxed. in certain respects, and said the pres- i ent system of hospital boards was too j unwieldy, and the present health dis- i tricts were too large. Mrs G H Ross (O—Hamilton> said; she would like to sec overtime rates for nurses put more in keeping with j those paid to other workers. OVERTIME I Mr M. H. Oram (O—Manawatu) said : hospital boards were not allowed to pay overtime to nurses without the consent of the Minister. Such a condition compared very unfavourably with conditions in other awards The method of calculating overtime for nurses was unfair and uniust in comparison with other walks of life. Mr Oram emphasised that tuberculosis would never be conquered until control over the fase was made effective. • Regulations should be made to confine people to hospital and they should not be allowed to go home at their own sweet will. Miss Howard. Minister of Health, replying to Mr Aderman. said it was not correct to say that authority had been given for new buildings to cost £23.000.000. That was the amount envisaged. and a total of £12,000,000 had been authorised to date. The Minister said no urgent surgical case .would ever be turned away from a hospital. ‘DOING ITS BEST’ The department was doing its best i to recruit nurses for the hospitals and' mental hospitals, and some doctors would arrive in New Zealand sooh; from England for mental hospitals. I The basis of payment for nurses’ j overtime vvas exactly what the Nurses’ j Association had asked for. If the | nurses had any other proposition to make it would receive consideration. The Minister said there was power in the first draft of the Tuberculosis Bill to arrest a person who did not comply with certain tuberculosis regulations. but it was felt that that power was too drastic and that particular clause was withdrawn.

She agreed, however, with the member for Manawatu that the regulations should be strengthened, and suggested that it m'ght be opportune next year to bring down appropriate legislation. Forty-six sheep are dead and many others injured following attacks by stray dogs on a flock of 92 stud and flock hoggets on the property of Mr J. M. H. Toft. Island Block, Te Kauwhata. Mr Toft valued the dead animals at £I3H and says that some of them, by an imported ram. cannot be replaced. Havoc among the sheep was caused in about three hours.