COST OF HOSPITALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19892, 10 March 1928, Page 12

COST OF HOSPITALS.

REDUCTION OF EXPENDITURE.

GOOD CARE OF CONSUMPTIVES.

REVIEW BY THE MINISTER.

[BI TELEG R APH. —SPECIAL REPORTER. J EAWENE, Friday.

The new Hokianga Hospital at Rawene was officially opened by the Hon. J. A. Young, Minister of Health, in the presence of a number of residents to-day. Mr. W. H. White, chairman ox the Hokianga Hospital Board, said the hospital had cost £21,000. The money had been raised by means of a loan. The equipment had cost £IBOO, of which £9OO had been contributed voluntarily, a subsidy of £ for £ being paid by the Government. A key composed of the metal used in the hospital fittings waa presented to the Minister by Mrs. White. Mr. Young said he had been very much impressed by the general arrangements at the hospital He was particularly pleased with the metal used in the fittings. The Hokianga Hospital was a pattern for other institutions in the country. "There has without doubt been an undue demand for new hospitals in the Dominion recently," said ,the Minister. "The country has passed through a very trying period, and it is desirable to obtain the utmost value for every penny spent." The Minister said that last year the Health Department had been able to induce hospital boards to reduce their expenditure by £250,000. Seasons for Heavy Cost. The boards had been openly accused of extravagance. There were reasons for the increase in expenditure, in particular the natural increase in population, the depreciation in the purchasing power of money and ths wider sphere of work covered, "Hospitals are no longer merely infirmaries for the sick, but highly specialised institutions, giving services of * nature that was not dreamed of a generation ago." Mr. Young congratulated the district on its immunity from consumption and other diseases of the chest. It was a tribute to the excellent climate of the Hokianga district. Death-Rate From Consumption. The New Zealand death rate per 1000 from consumption was the lowest in the world, yet the Dominion had more beds for consumptives in proportion to population than any other country. This was evidence that New Zealand was very humanitarian, giving the greatest comfort to its consumptive patients.

In outlining the Health Departmsnt's work in the care of maternity cases, Mr. Young said there were seven St. Helens Hospitals in the Dominion, containing 129 beds. There were also 50 maternity hospitals nnder hospital boards, and over 200 private homes. The department kept a close supervision on private maternity hospitals. -After stating that prenatal clinics had been established in the towns, but not in the country, the Minister urged the board to ■ set up a clinic in connection with the hospital.

The new hospital has been opened for about a year. It is a wooden building, situated ( pu a fine site overlooking the Hokianga Harbour, and has 40 beds. It is equipped in the latest style with ©very convenience for the comfort of patients. Dr. G. M. Smith is the medical superintendent.