HOSPITAL TREATMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20304, 11 July 1929, Page 9

HOSPITAL TREATMENT.

LODGE MEMBERS' FEES. WAIHI DISTRICT DISPUTE. [by TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WAIHI, Wednesday. Finality has not yet been reached between tho Waihi Hospital Board and the local friendly society lodges as to the scale of fees to be paid for the treatment of lodge patients admitted to the district hospital. Tho question was again discussed at a meeting of the board last evening. Replying to a circular letter to the lodges concerned, which asked them to sign an agreement to pay tho charges set forth therein, which included the anaesthetists' fees and X-ray treatment, tho secretary of the Oddfellows' Lodp;e stated that tho matter had been referred to tbo Auckland district management committee. The reply was that the Auckland district was liable only for hospital accounts in terms of its agreement with tho Auckland Hospital Board, that tho agreement did not provide the payment of fees for anaesthetics and X-ray treatment, and that such agreements could only bo signed by the district officers and not by individual lodges. "This," said Mr. S. 11. Brown, "opens up a very big subject. Just because tho Auckland confcrenco has an arrangement with tho Auckland Board, why should wo come into lino with them?" Tlicy had an arrangement with the local lodges, and if this sort of thing went on ho thought tho only course they could adopt would be to refuse to accept lodge patients. Tho chairman, Rev. J. D. Mcl'atlanc: It Hcoms to bo heading that way. Mr. J. Kemp agreed with Mr. Brown and said they should refuse to have anyfhing to do with the lodges unless they agreed to the board's charges. "in defence of tho claim for the payment for anaesthetics and X-ray lieaiment it was stated that the a reasonable one, in that i on the board. a j motions and 1 it was decided to request the f m 7 i- i't lod "e secretaries to sign '.rlgreernent similar to that in force in Auckland, at the same time informing them that full fees not mentioned iu the asrreement, including anaesthetics and X-ray I real merit, would be charged and i.o siibiect to a rebate of 50 per cent, if paid within three months.