HOSPITAL FINANCES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20595, 20 June 1930, Page 13

HOSPITAL FINANCES.

PROVINCIAL CONTROL URGED GROWING COST OF RELIEF. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE VIEW. That hospital administration should be on a provincial basis, owing to improved transport facilities, was a conclusion adopted by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce Council at its meeting yesterday. It was pointed out that the improvements in transport enabled larger areas to be served than was the case when the districts were constituted.

The council yesterday adopted the report of the Parliamentary and Taxation Committee, which had investigated among other things the question of hospital and charitable aid expenditure. In reporting on the question whe'ther charitable aid should be made a national or a Government matter, the committee found the suggestion was open to the following objections:—(l) It opened a door for political interference in local hospital matters; (2) it was likely to remove the influences making for economy in administration which existed when the funds of the boards were provided largely by people on the spot and were administered by people with knowledge of local conditions and some interest in keeping down expenses.

The report urged that the creation of larger districts would remove the anomaly, resulting from serious cases gravitating toward the main hospital of a district, and in spito of all precautions tending to become a charge on the district where such hospital was situated. The enlargement of the districts would to a great extent obviate or greatly mitigate the precautions at present necessary to ensure that each district should bear the costs of treating inhabitants of that district.

In view of the fact that contributions to tho hospital boards -were made by a levy on local authorities, it would seem desirable that the local authorities should appoint the members of the hospital boards directly, instead of their being elected, as at present, by the ratepayers. The report referred to the growing charitable disbursements of the Auckland Hospital Board. For the year ended March 31, 1927, the disbursements amounted to 14 per cent, of the Dominion total, and in 1928 the proportion had risen to 15 per cent. In 1929, 10,525 persons received assistance, as compared with 2603 in 1927, relief due to unemployment showing the greatest increase. It was decided to write to the Auckland Hospital Board urging it to exercise the greatest economy in administration, with particular reference to the collection of outstanding fees where practicable.