HOSPITAL CONTROL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3764, 4 May 1926, Page 64

HOSPITAL CONTROL.

MINI ST EE - S STATEMENT. SUPPORT FROM STRATFORD. STRATFORD, April 28. The Hon. J A. Young (Minister of Health) has a warm sympathiser in Mr C. D. Sole (chairman of ihe Stratford Hospital Board* in the attitude he has adopted in connection with the hospital question Speaking at the meeting of the board to-day, Mr Sole said: it gives me great pleasure to note that the present admmistra tive policy of the public hospitals in New Zealand is to continue. The Stratford Hospital is a community hospital pure and simple because m • no questions as to a patient’s social position are asked, and no discrimination of treatment is permitted It » nov definitely decided that the State will not subsidise private wards eilhei by capital or administrative expenditure, and it is needless to say that this board wii) not feel disposed to uae moneys collected from the rates foi the purpose of providing special acc munodatiuo in the hoapital." After going fully and carefully into the matter, Mr Sole said he had come to the conclusion that no patient could be admitted into a private ward under £lO or £l2 per week, which was a prohibitive cost. The establishment of private wards or community hospitals, did not appeal to many boards The Stratford Board, like many others, preferred to fix the responsibility or one man, and to run its institution on the lines previously adopted—namely, not to recognise class, creed, colour or nationality, but simply the fact that an individual was sick and entitled to the best service at the lowest possible cost. “The greatest asset any community can possess is a healthy people, and it is our duty to continue giving the best services possible in our institution,” Mr Sole added. Several members agreed with the views expressed by the chairman, and on the motion of Mr W L. Kennedy the following resolution was carried : “ That the Stratford Hospital Board heartily desires to congratulate the Hon. J. A. Young, MTnister of Health, on the recent pronouncement, as reported in this morning’s paper, that his policy with regard to the arrangements and control of hospitals iu New Zealand is to preserve the control of hospitals in the hands of the people who are responsible for arranging the finance and organisation of them, and that this board desires to assure the Minister that, in conjunction with himself, it is out for efficiency, economy, and the greatest possible good to suffering humanity, which the board believes will be best effected by the carrying out of the existing policy.”

NOT DOCTORS’ JOB

MINISTER’S DETERMINATION. BLENHEIM, April 29. Speaking at the openiug of the new nurses’ home in connection with the Wairau Hospital, the Minister of Health (the Hon J. A. Young) repliod to the British Medical Association in reference to Dr MacEacbern’s report;—

“We have recently hud in this country a gentleman from America, here by the British Medical Association,” said the Minister. “He has repoited to the British Medical Association, which seems very angry with me because 1 did not throw my arms around his neck and accept without question everything ho had to say The Minister continued that he ww* ed to say that neither he nor his department was above accepting anything in Dr MacLachern’s report which would be helpful oi beneficial to uie Dominion, and if it would better the health of the people it would be treated with consideration and acted upon, but when anyone attempted to dictate to him or to put pressure on him, or use piopaganda to undermine the powers of the hospital boards. lau department. or the people, he would be up in arms and take a stand asrai st the whole medical profession. He recognised that the doctors performed an important function. However, their job was not to govern the community, but to help too in sickness. While the profession kept to that job it would have no greater friend than he, but when it failed to bserve that rule he would be up against it. When it came to a matter oKpolitical control of business, as they called it, the Governmen would have its say in the matter. The British Medical Association l ad suggested that the elected members of the hospital hoards were not suitable to carry on the work they were doing. If that were to, the community had the remedy, and could bring about a change at any time. If wo had a nominated system i- would have neither a soul to condemn nor a body to kick. 'lhe Minister then read Dr Watts’s letter, which has already been quoted, and continued : “I am told by the medical men in Wellington that it is very unfair for me to read a letter from Dr Watt, but I think we mnst trust our own men, rather than strangers who come here to tell us how to run our own. business You can be assured that while the community is controlling the hospitals of the country it has a check on expenditure, but with nominated persons in charge, or having the controlling influence in any way. they would not be concerned about finance. They would get what they wanted whether you could pay or not. I want the people behind me to snpoort mo in maintaining the right? of a free people to govern their own institutions.”

CONTROVERSY CONTINUED.

REPLY TO MINISTER. WELLINGTON, April 30, The new Minister of Health seems to have got kimßelf into trouble in consequence' ; of his remarks, recently made at Huntly, and his further statement at Blenheim, and the medical, profession is up in aims against him Referring to the subject, Dr D. Eardley Fenwick, secretary of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, said to-day: “At this stage I am not anxious to . say very, much because the executive of the British Medical Association baa written to' the Ministei with a view to making an endeavour to remedy the apparent misunderstanding which ha 9 occurred through his remarks. These remarks of the Minister pou'.d not have been made at a more unfortunate time He seemß determined to force a quarrel upon us just at a tune when there was every prospect of his department and the profession getting together in a spirit of helpfu l co-operation. For years there ha 9 been rather a tendency for the Department of Health and the medical profession each to go its own individual way .with little reference to the other. Partly to remedy this unsatisfactory state of sfUirs the British Medical Association (representing the profession in New Zealand) asked the department and representatives of the hospital boards to meet its representatives in conference. This meeting took place and the whole atmosphere was one of co-operation There was then no misinterpretation of the views of the profession. There was, for instance, no such ridiculous suggestion a 3 that the doctors wanted to get control of the hospitals Now the Minister seems determined to quarrel with us, and to impute ulterior motives to our desire to cooperate with his department. “It is rather a pity that tire Mi mb r should have made the kind of remark tlu»v he did at Blenheim, when he said that the members of the British Medical Association were angrv with lim That is not the kind of remark that is going to help matters. Our feeling, put briefly, is this: We are intensely disappointed that at a time when we are awaiting with great interest ihe report from a world renowned authority on hospital administration, the Minister of Health rushes to the lore with statements ol a kind which suggest that he has made up hta mind to oppose anything in* the nature of refoim or alteration in the preseni system. He must know that the last thing that occurred at the recent conference was a statement by the Director-General of Hea'th that as soon as Dr MacEachern's full report arrived he (the Director-General) would convene a meeting representative of the department. the hospital boards, and the British Medical Association A conference, he stated, out of which nothing but good would result. Surely Mi Young would have lost nothing by waiting for this conference before making the unfortunate Statements he has made. “Regarding the remarks of the Minister, following his residing of a letter from Dr Watt, Deputy Director-General of the Health Department. I can oulv -say that the Medical Association will be extremely glad to hear the result of Dr Watt’s observations in regard to American hospitals We do not for one moment desire to adopt in their entirety American systems in New Zealand. We think, however, that as a result of Dr Watt's observations in America, and Dr MacEachern’s inquiry into our hospital system in New Zealand we can adopt what is good and reject what is not suitable to New Zealand conditions.”