WAIROA HOSPITAL BOARD

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 18687, 22 April 1935, Page 2

WAIROA HOSPITAL BOARD

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT A VERY BUSY YEAR (Herald Correspondent.) At tho Wairoa Hospital Hoard moot - ing the outgoing eliairnian, Air P. •). Brewster, who has'devoted a good deal of his time to hospital matters, reported as follows: “In submitting the proposed estimates for the board to adopt it is with great satisfaction that I can inform >Oll that the net overdraft of £705 at the beginning of the year has been paid off, and the year ends with the mrall credit balance of £45. “During the past three years tho hospital buildings and grounds have been considerably improved upon in appearance, and the board ran be justiliablv proud of the institution and the tervice it is providing to all classes of the community.

“My thanks are extended to nil uem’bers .and tho stafl' for their cooperation in attaining this result, which has been brought about notwithstanding that payments to other boards exceeded our estimate by £4OO, and that the expense of the new district midwife in the borough was not budgeted for. MORE PATIENTS

“The number of patients treated during the year shows a substantial, increase oil last year, and the average occupied beds was 27.1, as against. 2H beds, upon which the cost of hospital maintenance was based. However, the additional amount.'caused by this increase .was under £2O, and thus the cost per occupied bed was reduced to £207, as against £220 10s the previous year. Owing to the still increasing number of patients being treated in hospital it is considered necsesary that the basis of estimating the cost of hospital maintenance for the current. year lie on an average of 3f patients. Actually the average foi this year to date was 30.0 patients, the highest number being 45 on one day and 43 on three days. “To provide proper accommodation for this increase the board has no option ibftt to make provision for more ward space, and it is regretted that capital, levy for this purpose preclude; a slight reduction on the charges or. the contributory 'bodies. “On April 1, 1032, the board had t net credit 'balance of £748 and the levies for 1932-33, and were it not foi this credit the levies would have been £2BBI, instead of £2573. “Conversely in 1933-34 the board commenced with, a debit balance of £698. which meant that the levies had to be increased irom £2573 to £3521 to meet this deficit. Similarly last year we started with a debit balance of £705, which meant an increase in levies from £3418 to £3813. This year the board commences with a small credit balance, thus the expenditure of £IBOO on earthquake restoration irom maintenance moneys over the past lour years has been * met, with only the rebuilding ot the nurses’ home requiring loan finance. “Hereunder is a comparative table of Inures showing, receipts and payments tor estimates purposes over the past three years: — ‘ ‘ lleceip ts.—V olun ta r v contributions. 1932-33 £2l. 1933-34 £lO. 1934-35 £7; patients payments, £1758, £1558, £2115: charitable aid recoveries, £9, —, £6O; rents, etc., £215, £IEB, £188; National Provident Fund refunds in excess of contributions, —, —, £74; maintenance

levies, £2573, £3521, £3711: maintenance subsidies, £2012, £3384, £3612; additional subsidy, £lO2, —, '■‘Payments'—Hospital maintenance, 1932-33 £5119, 1933-34 £5381, 1934-35 £5609; charitable aid, £582, £616, £726; district and maternity nursing, £436, £387, £731; administration, £626, £607, £630; payments to other boards, £530, £Bll, £1307; rents and rates, £ls, £2l, £11; interest's on overdraft, £ls, £54. £32- National Provident Fund, £77, £BS, 1 —; refund of subsidy, —, £47, £25; earthquake restoration, £620, £l9l, number of patients treated, 498,527,669: average number of occupied beds, 21.5, 24.4, 27.1. “It may be of interest to know that whilst tile levies from the local contributory bodies comprise the greatest source of the hoard’s income, patients’ payments over the past 10 years average 65 per cent, of the combined maintenance and capital levies. Also, that over the same period the combined levies averaged .196 of a penny in the pound on rateable capital values as against the Dominion average of .250 of a penny.”