TREATMENT OF PATIENTS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 22108, 14 May 1935, Page 10

TREATMENT OF PATIENTS

HOKIANGA AND WHANGAREI HOSPITAL BOARDS' AGREEMENT [by telegraph—OWN correspondent] WHANGAREI. Monday A decision that as far as possible patients from tho Hokianga Hospital Board district shall not be admitted to the Whangarei District Hospital when they can be treated in their own institution was reached to-day by the Whangarei Hospital Board. Mr. W. H. White, chairman of the Hokianga Hospital Board, who waited upon the Whangarei board, said last year several patients from the Hokianga district were sent to the Whangarei Hospital. Very often they were not fit to travel and some means should bo found to obviate this. He quoted instances in which the Hokianga board had been involved in heavy liability to the Whangarei board as a result. Tho only solution he could suggest, and it was somewhat drastic, was that, if a patient from his district were sent to. the Whangarei Hospital and was fit to travel, he should be sent back to the Hokianga Hospital. Tho Hokianga board would pay the cost. In other cases the patients, if admitted to tho Whangarei Hospital, should be sent back as soon as possible. The chairman of the board. Mr. J. N. McCarroll, said the request was quite reasonable The Whangarei board desired nothing but the friendliest relationship. There was a danger to tho patients in sending them from ono place to another, and the medical officers must accept the responsibility. Tho policy of the Whangarei board was not to take patients from the Hokianga district It would undertako to facilitate the return of any patients where they should obviously have been admitted to the Hokianga Hospital. Mr. White expressed satisfaction at the settlement of this difficulty and offered £75 in full settlement of tho £l4O of outstanding accounts. This was accepted.