UNEMPLOYMENT AND ILLNESS

Taranaki Daily News, 19 September 1930, Page 7

UNEMPLOYMENT AND ILLNESS

HOSPITAL PATIENTS INCREASE. That the present unemployment is partly responsible for the increase of the number of patients in hospitals, is the opinion of tire medical superintendent of Palmerston North hospital, as expressed at a meeting this week.

When reference ;was made to Mr. Campbell Begg’s statements that economy could be exercised in the management of hospitals in New Zealand .by discharging patients as soon as possible, the chairman of the ■ board, Mr. J. K. Hornblow, said the danger was that if patients were discharged too quickly they were soon back again.

Dr. Ward: There is no doubt about that.

“However, I can assure you that as far as Palmerston North hospital is concerned, every care is being taken to see that as soon as patients can be permitted to go to their own homes they are sent out, said Mr. Hornblow. “There is a tendency to increase the length of stay in hospital,” said Dr. Ward. It was an extremely difficult question, however. Men living in town could be discharged, and could return to have their wouitds dressed, or have other treatment, but this was not possible with men living in the country. There was also the man who had no home, and they got a host of them. They had only boardinghouses to go to, and it was his opinion that the present unemployment was having a lot to do with the increase in the hospitals. When a' man was working and getting good money, he did not get ill. He could put his finger on quite a number who dated their illness from the time they lost their jobs.