HOSPITAL BENEFITS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXXIII, 29 June 1939, Page 10

HOSPITAL BENEFITS

HOW ARE COSTS TO BE MET? Any hopes the hospital boards may have cherished that the Government would raise above 6s the daily payment for patients under the social security scheme has been summarily dis- | posed of by the Minister of Health j I (says the "New Zealand Herald '). It j ; would therefore seem to be vain for | ; the chairman of the Auckland board, j j Mr Allan Moody, to pursue this par-! I ticular line at the meeting with the i Minister on Monday, in spite of the , favourable prospect held out by Dr. J.' jP. Hastings. On the other hand, the : Auckland board is probably not. the i only one which considers that it will i j not be fully compensated by the Gov- | | ernment’s rate of capitation for extra | expenditure promoted by social securi ity. If such proves to be the general* j expectation, then the Hospital Boards’ Association should consider how the financial position is to be met. It can- ; not fairly load the larger bill on to - j property owners by increasing the lev- j ies on local bodies. Property owners 1 I already bear heavy hospital rates, they 1 j pay social security tax. and should not j again be mulcted for a responsibility j that belongs to the Government—the j same Government that prevents many ; of them recouping themselves by raising rents. The association might reasonably decide not to raise levies to pay what is certainly the Government's score, leaving the onus with the Government should a restriction of services become necessary. As matters stand at present, the Government has promised "free" hospital services 1o the people and collects the cost from them, but is contributing nothing toward the cost of medical attention and of the large out-patient services. A decision to restrict the expansion rf out-patient clinics has already been' taken by the Auckland board. It may , be hoped that all these problems will : ultimately be solved without prejudice to the welfare of those whom the hospitals and the social security schema are organised to succour.