HOSPITAL CHARGES.
PATIENTS FROM OUTSIDE.
REASON FOR DIFFERENTIATION
The decision of the Auckland Hospital Board to charge 15s a day for the use of the institution by patients living outside its district is criticised in a letter received from a resident of Waihi. The writer says that published figures show that the annual cost of maintaining a bed in the Auckland Hospital is only £l5O ss, or less than £3 a week.
The chairman of the Hospital Board, Mr. W. Wallace, in reply to an inquiry, stated that tho figure quoted in the letter covers the maintenance ,cost only. The charge of 15s a day covers all overhead charges, but does not include any charge for the services of the honorary medical staff, which are given free. The board has provided highly-specialised departments at heavy cost. At the usual charge of 9s a day every patient represents a potential loss of 6s a day. The board is unable to face this loss in respect of patients who live outside its district, especially as their use of the hospital adds to the difficulty of providing sufficient beds to meet all demands.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19300321.2.147
Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20519, 21 March 1930, Page 15
Word Count
190HOSPITAL CHARGES. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20519, 21 March 1930, Page 15
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