HOSPITAL ECONOMY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 17956, 7 December 1932, Page 7

HOSPITAL ECONOMY

PROVISION FOR MERGERS approved by council (Per Press Association.) WELLINGTON, last night. In moving in the Legislative Council to-dav the second reading ot the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Amendment Bill, Sir James Parr said tlie measure provided for the amalgamation of hospital districts by Order-m-Oouncil on the recommendation ot. a commission. At present amalgamation could only he brought about voluntarily. The bill was approved by the Hospital Boards Association and the idea was to co-ordinate services, in order to eliminate waste and promote efficiency. iSir Thomas Sidey said the bill was a confession on the part of all govern incuts that they were unable to resist political pressure. In spite of .expert opinion, the number of hospital districts had been increased and the efficiency of the services had suffered. Tho 1 Ton. W. 11. Mclntyre said the proposals of the National Expenditure Adjustment Commission in regard to hospital control had beery bureaucratic, but there were safeguards in the present bill against passible injustices, and he congratulated the Government on bringing it down. The Hon. M. Fagan said, lie hoped tho Government would see its way to provide under the bill for the limitation of hours of duty of probationer nurses in private hospitals. The bill was rend a second time