HOSPITAL’S REVENUE

Taranaki Daily News, 18 April 1935, Page 6

HOSPITAL’S REVENUE

REVIEW TO STRATFORD BOARD. INCREASED INCOME DURING YEAR. A review of the work at the Stratford hospital for the year ended March 31 wns given by Mr. W. L. Kennedy, chairman of the Stratford Hospital Board, at the last regular board meeting before the elections. As Mr. Kennedy is to retire from the board the review was also a valedictory address. “We will leave the congratulations on the results achieved,” said Mr. Kennedy, “for the future to disclose whether the change of policy that the board has entered upon wiil tend to the more efficient running of the hospital. "The optimism shown in our last annual report ns to the improvement in the economic conditions that then prevailed is surely reflected in the greater amount of patients' fees collected,” said Mr. Kennedy. “The fees collected exceeded the estimates by over £353. On the other hand the cost of patients sent to other’ hospitals exceeded the estimate by £264. We have saved on charitable aid by £153, however.” A considerable sum had been spent on general maintenance during the year, so that the buildings inside and out had been kept in good repair. The nurses’ home and matron’s quarters had been thoroughly renovated. The nurse’s rooms at Whangamomona, with the out-buildings, had been overhauled and painted, giving to the buildings a pleasing and attractive appearance. The health of the community continued to be good; at times the number of patients in the hospital had been well below the average, and there had been no outbreak of infectious disease. The isolation ward was closed for over five months, and there were only 15 cases admitted during the year. The total number of patients treated was 664, with a daily average of 32.61. Admissions to the maternity ward numbered 123, and there were 119 babies bom, a considerable decrease compared with previous years. The work done by the district nurse in the eastern districts was highly spoken of both by the Pouatu Medical Association and the settlers. “Miss Workman has proved herself a highly capable and popular nurse,” said Mr. Kennedy. “I am glad to see that the proposal of a national scheme of compulsory hospital insurance, which I mentioned over 12 months ago as most desirable, has been taken up whole-heartedly by the hospital boards of the Dominion and' is likely to become an established fact,” said Mr. Kennedy. “The Government of the day has shown that it is sympathetic. It would not in any way replace the present system of hospital finance but would be merely an additional source of revenue benefiting the ratepayer and theconsolidated fund’ proportionately, while it would! relieve the anxiety of honest wage-earners about the means of providing for times of sickness, giving them free hospital treatment.

“I trust that the new board will-have but one aim, that of keeping up the good name for efficient care and treatment of the sick and suffering that the Stratford Hospital Board has always held,” Mr. Kennedy added. He expressed his thanks to the secretary and treasurer (Mr. T. L. Penn), to the past superintendent (Dr. D. Steven) for the efficient services he rendered to the hospital, to the nursing staff and matron, and to Dr. W. Brown, present superintendent, for the kindly and courteous way in which he had dealt with the many difficulties following the change of policy.