COUNTRY HOSPITALS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3972, 29 April 1930, Page 4

COUNTRY HOSPITALS.

HEAVY LOSS IN NORTH CANTER, BURY.

COMMITTEE OF INQUIRY SET UP. CHRISTCHURCH, April 23. The opinion that several of the conn? try hospitals established by the North Canterbury Hospital Board should be closed or “ farmed out ” was expressed at to-day’s meeting of the board by Mr W. Anderson, one of the city representatives. Mr Anderson drew attention t<j the heavy loss on the country hospitals. He said that the receipts from the country hospitals amounted approximately to £4900 and the expenditure to £17,000, the loss amounting to £12,000. While he agreed that some of these hospitals were Necessary he felt that there were some whose existence was not justified, The country hospitals were established when conditions of transport were differj ent from what they were now, and some I of them were, he considered, no longer necessary. If a special committee were set up it could investigate the directions in which economies could be effected. It might be possible to enter for “ farming out ” country hospitals so as to reduce the cost to the board. The present position should not be allowed to continue. Mr A. T. Smith agreed with Mr Anderson’s remarks. He said that it would be a good thing to have the whole position overhauled by a special committee. Mr F. Horrell remarked that most of the country hospitals were maternity institutions and were required. It was possible now that transport conditions had changed that some of them could be closed, but it had to be remembered that the establishment of these institutions had to a large extent placated the country ratepayers. Mr Smith moved—“ That the commit-" tee consist of Messrs Otley, Holland, Anderson, Evans, and Dr Acland.” The chairman (Mr H. J. Otley) said he must plead guilty to the establishment of the country hospitals. He believed that they were doing good work, although, of course, it might be possible to effect economics. The setting up of a committee could do only good. Mr Anderson, in reply, said that what he particularly objected to was the maintenance of country hospitals which had an average of only one patient per bed a year. One such institution cost £l2OO a year to maintain. That was, of course, an extreme case. He quite agreed that the hospitals at Little River, Kaikoura, and other places were necessary, but some of the others were merely a waste of money. They were extravagences created in some cases by residents with a pull with members of the board purely for parochial reasons. He was emphatically against that sort of thing. The motion was carried. „