LODGER AND BOARD.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19148, 14 October 1925, Page 12

LODGER AND BOARD.

*rj9— THE WHANGAREI HOSPITAL. ENDOWMENT OF BEDS. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT. ] WHANG ARET. Tuesday. There was an agreement between the Whangarei Hospital Board and the United Friendly Societies' executive last year whereby patients belonging to the latter organisations were treated at a reduced rate, in consideration of guaranteed payment of fees by the societies. The board raised the daily charge to all patients from 7s 6d to 9s a day and the friendly societies wished to renew their agreement, on the old basis, but the board's best offer was to allow 40 per cent, on the new rate. The societies objected to the increased charge and yesterday the board was notified that the arrangement would be allowed to lapse and the societies would accept no further responsibility for payment of fees by members. Bearing upon the same subject inquiry was made regarding what would be the cost for a year of endowing one, two or three beds in the hospital. In tljis connection application had been made to Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, Director-General of Heftlth, who replied that he did not view with any particular favour the idea of endowing beds for any persons or class of persons whatever, meaning the establishment of definite beds. It was » better arrangement to endeavour to arrive at a working arrangement with the friendly societies under which the hoard would be guaranteed payment. Although the conference of hospital boards in May had rejected a proposal that the rebate to the societies should not be more than onethird, he considered the 50 per cent, allowance in vogue distinctly generous. The ordinary fee by no means approximated the cost of treatment, if all administration and other overhead charges were added. The charge of 4s 6d a day, or half the new fee of 9s obtaining at Whangarei. was only about a quarter of the average real cost of treatment oKhospital patients in New Zealand, and he did not advise the board, to consider any greater concession than that. Dr. flail, medical superintendent of the l Whangarei institution, stated that in a hos"M;tl to which he had previously been atia-hed the friendly societies had paid the cost of three beds in different wards. 'Use position was that if cases of friendly societies' patients were urgent they took | their chance of those beds being vacant, while if they were non-urgent the friendly society patients took their turn when the beds became available. After considerable discussion, in which it was stated that although a concession was due if beds were endowed it was difficult to arrive at how much that concession should be, and that the friendly societies evidently aimed at getting better terms than the sixty-forty basis offered, it, was decided to defer a decision pending investigation by the house committee.