HOSPITAL BENEFITS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 143, 20 June 1939, Page 6

HOSPITAL BENEFITS

THE NEW STATE SCHEME POSITION IN WANGANUI Preparations arc being made by the Wanganui Hospital Board to handle the State hospital scheme of benefit.s when they become operative on Jul. 1. It is estimated that the board will receive £5l)00 more revenue under th*' scheme, but that will not up for the loss in fees written off ea- h Statistics show that in the thi*hospitals controlled by the Wangaiv board the average number ot inpatients under treatment daily is U 1 At Wanganui the average numb*' daily last year was 164, jaihape 1" and Ractihi 12. In the latter hosp tai a small proportion of the 12 wei maternity patients, for which th board receives 12s 6d a day. I The charge made by the-Wangam Hospital for treatment is 12. s a day l aduits and 6s a day for children uu dcr 1-1. Of those fees, however, om ■jt per cent, are collected, the balan* being written oft as bad debts. THproportion collected at Raetihi h< pital last year was 12 per cent., Ta nape 31 per cnl.. ana Wanganui per cent., making an average, o\the three institutions, of 34 per cciv i Mr. Kerby was asked ycstorc,. I whccher the tact that the Gove it meat's 6s a day for all patients, au | the prospect of there be*ng no “bi; debts' in the luture, would make ' lur me toss the board has had to nv in Ihe way of fees written <>ll. ■ “Not by a long way. ' ?.ir. Kerby [plied. "H is estimated Inal the boa w'ill collect an extra £5OOO under hi[Stale scheme. Last year it wrote *t h.2i.i)ui) ni fees." "vVill the payment by the State 6.- a day fur each patient r<‘nucr, o: any way ait eel, Inc Stale subsidy a ready enjoyed by the board?” waanotner question put to Mr. Kerby. "No. he replied. •i he SUOSidy from the .s He <<»: the maintenance <” ihe hospital will be calculated on t 1 board's annual levy in the usual wa Mr. Kerby said that the amount levy varied from 16s to 26s in the • depending on the levy and ihe anv»ur for allocation throughout the I 1 minion. At present the Wanganui H<* , lias a resident medical slab' of i< i including the superintundent <l> I i L Widdowsont. It has an hon<*i staff ol 10. At Taihape incre II hree part- im m fit al men an Ra< tihi two part t ime. . Kerby could giv<- no informal [a> to what arrangements would made with the honorary stall . i the new i(gulations <om ■ into I 1 Although i In- New Zealan I b of the Biitish M di( ■: Asso<ia reached n » agreement with Ihe M. , Iler, Hun. !I’la.-cr, <(>n<'iiim; > tracts under the acl. tiie h 0,,..; I medical stall at ihe Wanganui I ■ pital has derided to continue m service as u. ual after July .. benents under the hospital suctu-i [the Act include medical and .ui_( ircatmenl, nursing, c;.r •. and . tion. The chairman of th? h r medical staff, Dr. G. J. Adams, that the medical m*'n in Wan. had decided that this s”i vice -luuil . [he continued in the hospital until tii service had hee.i consolidal<>d undei [the Social Security Ad and a full s< i vice had b'‘<'n arranged.