THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Saturday, May 10, 1941. HOSPITAL CONTROL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24603, 10 May 1941, Page 8

THE OTAGO DAILY TIMES Saturday, May 10, 1941. HOSPITAL CONTROL

When the Minister of Health, questioning the wisdom of continuing the system of local hospital rating, suggests that it may be advisable to consider making hospital maintenance a national and not a local responsibility, he admits the continued existence of a problem which the social security plan was intended to solve. It is true that hospital boards, to their financial advantage, receive payment out of the Social Security Fund in lieu of patients' fees. To talk of people getting free hospital treatment is nevertheless absurd, for, if they are relieved to some extent of the obligation to pay fees, they are certainly, not discharged from the obligation to .pay taxes for hospital maintenance. What seems to be giving the Minister cause for concern, as it certainly is causing concern to the boards, is the fact that, under the social security scheme, the burden of hospital rating is, as was in fact to be anticipated, becoming heavier instead of lighter. One direct result of the introduction of hospital benefits on a considerable scale is that the demand for ward accommodation and for. staffing has increased and that extensions involving heavy capital expenditure are being forced on practically all boards. For other reasons, related to the Government's legislation providing higher wages for shorter hours of work, boards have been confronted with, an allround increase in costs. Hospital rates must reflect the. difficulties under which the boards are labouring, and additional demands will continue to excite public protests—in particular from county ratepayers, wlib for. years have argued that the benefits they receive are wholly dispropoiiionate to the share of hospital costs that they are called upon to provide. The studied vagueness of Mr Nordmeyer's latest statement does not indicate that the Government sees any easy way of removing existing anomalies in the hospital system. Perhaps he is merely flying a ballon d'essai when he hints at the adoption of a system "where the cost of hospitals would be a national and not a local cost." This would presumably bring hospitals administration directly under State management. . To what extent that step would affect the status of a section of the professional staff or, would modify the present system of control would remain to be seen. . A point that is not to be lost sight of in such a district as this, for instance,, when the prospect of centralisation is envisaged, is the essential relationship that exists between the public hospial and the. University, through the Medical School. In some directions, however, it may be possible to foresee definite advantages from the termination of local control, where that might lead to simplification of administrative method .and the. avoidance of wasteful duplication in facilities and services. ■ ',:■:}: ■ "' '■.'','