THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18950, 23 February 1925, Page 10

THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM.

EXPERT INVESTIGATION. NOTED AMERICAN AUTHORITY. INVITED OVER BY DOCTORS- $ THE DEPARTMENT CO-OPERATING [BY TELEGRAPH." —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] TIMARU. Saturday. " The administration of hospitals and the hospital system generally has become a matter of the greatest public importance, and we cannot urge too strongly the necessity for arousing widespread interest in it," said Dr. J. S. Elliott, of Wellington, in an interview on Saturday. The matter was discussed by the council of the British Medical Association at a meeting in Timaru on Saturday morning prior to the opening of the annual conference. Dr. Elliott said that the British Medical Association did not want to take up the attitude that the hospital business was one that concerned either the medical profession or hospital boards to the exclusion of the general public, most of whom under tho present system contributed to the upkeep of hospitals of the country without getting very much, if anything, in return. The tendency in the past had been to leave hospital problems too much to tho hospital boards and tho medical profession. It had been found that every country was in the main faced with the same problems in hospital finance and administration, and trio cost of the hospital was becoming a heavy burden on public and, in some instances, privato financial resources. Certain classes of the community in New Zealand had been directly or indirectly shut off from the facilities afforded by hospitals mainly supported by general taxation and local rates. This question had arisen very prominently recently at the Palmerston North inquiry. However efficient the hospitals in New Zealand might be, at the same time there was always room for improvement, and it would always be difficult to attain a maximum of efficiency at a minimum cost. Dr. M. T. MacEachern would be visiting New Zealand in June after a visit to Victoria, where he had been invited to co-operate with the Victorian Minister for Health and the hospital authorities with a view to making suggestions for the improvement of the hospital system in Victoria. A Great Organiser. " Dr. MacEachern is a Canadian who some years ago did magnificent work in the administration of tho Vancouver hospital," said Mr. Elliott. "As a result of his great organising ability he was later appointed by tho American College of Surgeons to take charge of hospital activities, particularly in connection with the standardisation of hospitals, in Canada, the United States and South Amercia. His work has been a main factor in raising tho standard of hospitals in America. He is also president of the American Hospital Association, the most active body of its kind in tho world. The New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association has issued an invitation to Dr. MacEachern, and the Minister for Public Health in New Zealand has decided to offer Dr. MacEachern every facility to study the hospital system as it exists at present in New Zealand, and to visit representative hospitals in this country. Tho director-general of health, Dr. Valintine, or his deputy, will accompany Dr. MacEachern in hjs tour of investigation in New Zealand, and the Minister for Health will request Dr. MacEachern to co-operato with his department and make recommendations to the Government. Tho annual conference of the hospital boards of New Zealand, it is interesting to note, has passed a resolution suggesting a conference of tho Health Department and representatives of the hospital boards and of the medical profession. Dr. MacEachern will bo paid his salary by the American College of Surgeons during his trip abroad, and the only cost to Victoria and New Zealand will bo his travelling expenses, which will bo a relatively small item. The New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, at its meeting at Timaru, expressed warm approval of Dr. MacEachern's services being availed of, and is confident that ho will be able to co-operate very cordially and effectively with tho Health Department and hospital boards in New Zealand. His ser- , vices have been very valuable to the various hospitals in Canada and tho United Statos in questions of internal administration, and his wide experioneo has enabled him, in many instances, to effect economies and add to tho efficiency of tho departments of hospital work. Public Principally Concerned, "The British Medical Association is strongly of opinion that hospital administration is a matter of public concern primarily, and perhaps only in a secondary degree the special province of the boards or of the medical profession." Dr. Elliott instanced the , position in America, whero from 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 people annually required hospital treatment. This was a tremendous argument in favour of securing tho utmost efficiency in hospitals, for tho economic loss caused to the country through the illness of its workers was proportionately lessened, as the time during which "they were under treatment in hospital was lessened. 'there were scores of aspects of hospital treatment which required attention, one being the out-patients'; departments. There .'was a strong feeling that if the oflicioncy of tho out-patients' departments was increased' there would -be less need foi treatment of cases as in-patients. * Referring to tho attitude of the department, Dr. Elliott said that several newspapers had roundly condemned the apparent reluctance of tho Minister to move forward and take advantage of the opportunity to obtain .advice from outside authorities which might bo of use in inci'oasing the efficiency of tho hospital system, and in better administering tho expenditure of tho largo sums of public money which went in the upkeep of tho hospitals. Iho Education Department had not considered it a reflection upon its ability to seek the help of an Australian authority in solving its problems. Why, then, should the Health Department bo reluctant to follow suit'!