HOSPITAL FEES.

Thames Star, Volume LXII, Issue 17371, 22 May 1928, Page 5

HOSPITAL FEES.

DISCUSSION WITH WAIHI. CHARGES FOR THAMES PATIENTS MEETING OF BOTH BOARDS. (From Our Own Correspondent.) WAIHI, Alay 21. Several members of the Thames Hospital Board, headed by the chairman (Air W. E. Hale) met members of the Waihi Board at Waihi to-day, with the object of coming to some mutual arrangement with regard to the charging of full fees by the AYaihi Board to patients from' the Thames district who are admitted to the Waihi Hospital. The AYaihi Hospital district comprises only th e Borough of AA T aihi, and is practically surrounded by the Thames Hospital district, consequently many Thames Hospital patients are admitted to the AYaihi Hospital and become a charge upon the Thames Hospital Board if they fail to pay their fees in person. That this reacts to the disadvantage of Thames was discussed at several recent meetings of the Thames Board, and at last meeting it was agreed to endeavour to come to some arrangement with the AYaihi ' Board, whereby that body should not charge full fees to the Board. AA r aihi residents are charged at the rate of 9/- per day, but patients from outside the Borough of Waihi have to pay 12/- per day—or, in most cases, the Thames Board has to pay it for them, thus practically guaranteeing full payment to the Waihi Board. A further bon e of. contention is the opinion of the Thames Board that ;i number of the Thames patients admitted to Waihi are not really in the nature of urgent cases —th e only sort which are supposed to be admitted from the Thames district to the AYaihi hospital—and that thus the expense is greater than the Thames ratepayers should be really called upon to pay. Air J. Slevin, chairman of the AYaihi Hospital Board, extended a welcome to the Thames Board members, and expressed the hope that the two Boards would be able to come to an amicable arrangement. The welcome was acknowledged by Air AY. E. Hale (chairman of the Thames Board), who said that his Board did not come with any definite proposal. AVhat was concerning his Board chiefly was th e larger number of Thames district patients who were admitted to AVaihi, and who were not urgent cases and were charged at the rat e of 12/- a day. It was rather unfortunate that the Thames district went up so close to the Waihi Board, but even so the Thames Board contended that it could treat its own patients mor e cheaply and satisfactorily than could AVaihi. .r - • r In response to an inquiry, the secretary of the Thames Board (Air G. Tonge) quoted five cases that had been admitted to AVaihi, but were not urgent cases, and should have been sent to Thames in the ordinary course. One patient, it was pointed out, had be.en admitted to AA’aihi on April 26, and the Thames Board was not notified until Alay 15. ' To Air A. E. Robinson, the AVaihi secretary (Air J. YV. Tetley) said that the fees payable for th e cases to date amounted to £66.

To Mr C. W. Kennedy, Mr E. Morgan said that the Friendly \ Society patients at Waikino, which was outside the Waihi Board’s district, were taken at concession rates.

With regard to patients other than Friendly Society patients, Mr Kennedy contended that in view of the fact that fees for Thames district patients admitted to Waihi should not be charged at the rate of 12/- per day when it was remembered that the fees were guaranteed.

After a long discussion, it was decided that the Waihi Board would discuss the question and advise the Thames Board as early as possible.