HOSPITAL “BENEFITS”

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 83, Issue 143, 20 June 1939, Page 8

HOSPITAL “BENEFITS”

NEW SCHEME BY NO MEANS FREE BURDEN ON RATEPAYERS

NEW CHARGES TO BE MET ( Per Press Association.) DUNEDIN, June 19. “A new meaning has been given bj’ the Government to the word,” said Mr. J. W. Dove, president of the Associated Hospital Boards and chairman of the Otago Hospital Board, when asked by a reporter to state his views concerning the hospital benefits scheme which is announced to come into operation on July 1. "The people need not delude themselves into thinking that 6s a day k all that has to be paid,” said Mr Dove, “because the balance has to be found, and by whom? I venture to say that most ratepayers arc

workers, so that it Is they who will have to find the difference between the 6s named under the Social Security Act and the actual cost, of maintenance. This means a direct tax on ratepayers through local rate?, and an indirect tax by reason of payment of the balance from the Consolidated Fund. Consequently treatment at hospitals will not be free except to those who are for the time being patients.”

The matter of the payment of outpatient fees, said Mr. Dove, had been brought to the notice of the Minister, Hon. P, Frasex, by Mr J. Glover,

vice-president, and Mr. E. Cameron, secretary of the Associated Boards at the conference at Wellington, be-

cause no provision had been made for this in the regulations. The Minister had expressed his desire to protect members of the profession in this connection and had agreed that the charges, as previously levied by 'he respective boards, should be continued. Another very heavy burdert not hitherto placed upon the ratepayer, Mr. Dove pointed out, but which would need to be borne in the near future, was the payment of fees to ; those members of the medical profession who had always acted in an honorary capacity, “Mfhat the extent of this payment will be, the administrators of the hospitals have no idea, but it is highly probable that it will represent a very heavy charge upon the ratepayer and taxpayer,” said Mr. Dove. Negotiations already had been undertaken by Mr. Dove with one of the northern boards which has an honorary staff, but owing to the fact that there are nine others with similar staffs who have not been approached, the whole question of remuneration in respect of the 10 staffs has been referred to a conference be-

tween executives ot the Hospital Boards’ Association and the British Medical Association on July 3. What the outcome of this will be nobody can say. | The question of the payment of 6s a day, Mr. Dove said, had been unde consideration for months past. When the Minister, at the conference at New Plymouth, had requested the boards to assist the Governmen; in every way possible, representatives of the boards had met at the earliest moment in conference with representatives of the Health Department in Wellington and a joint report had been presented to the Government by Mr. Dove as chairman of the Associated Boards. In this report a strong case had been made out in favour of a payment of 7s 6d per day, but naming a minimum of 7s per day. When the case had been presented to Mr. Nash and Mr. Fraker. the former had said that in his opinion the basis of the claim was a very fair one- “That being the case,” concluded Mr. Dove, “we still contend that 6s a day is too little.”

NO MORE SICK PAY

POWER BOARD EMPLOYEES DECISION REACHED AT OPEN AKE. HAWERA, June 19. The greatest imposition ever "put over” the people of this country was Mr. W. C. Green’s view of the social security scheme, expressed at the monthly meeting ot the Opunake Power Board on Saturday, while Mr. A. J. Brennan considered the scheme nothing more than a "snare and a delusion” and "all humbug." This criticism was fothcoming during a discussion by the board of the question of granting sick pay to employees off duty through illness and qualifying for the benefits, the board deciding to cease such payments immediately. The secretary, Mr. Colin Cassels, in seeking this direction by resolution, suggested that, as benefits were now available under the Social Security Act, the board should investigate the extent to which it could continue to grant sick leave on either full or part pay within legal limits.

Position Before Awards. The board previously had met the position by granting sick leave in consideration of overtime worked, but now all hours worked in excess of those specified in the agreements were fully paid for, said the chairman, Mr. G. Goodwin. Regulations governing the granting of sick leave should be considered.

In the opinion of Mr. J. S. Hickey, if the board continued to grant sick pay to its employees it would be merely relieving the social security fund of its liability.

By withholding sick pay the board would possibly impose hardship on higher-paid workers, particularly if they were married men, declared Mr. R. B. Fleming, who added that he still adhered to the principle that each case should be treated on its merits.

Although much was heard of the social security scheme prior to the election, little was known now of its actual workings, said Mr. Green. Much of what the people had been told had since been shown to be urrtrue, he alleged. However, the people had decided to support the scheme, and they j now found that they would not secure 1

the benefits to which they had been led to believe they were entitled. Mr. Green believed that the board should do nothing which would relieve the hardships which, he alleged, the Act would impose. By that means, the whole question would be brought to a head, and it would then be necessary for the Government to decide whether the anticipated benefits should be offered or whether the scheme should be dropped entirely. Mr. Green described the scheme as “highway robbery.”

HOSPITAL BOARDS IGNORED

RATE OF PAYMENT TOO LOW DEPUTATION TO MINISTER In fixing the rate of the payments from the Social Security Fund for hospital treatment at 6s a day, the Minister of Health (the Hon. P. Fraser) had ignored the wishes of the Hospital Boards’ Association, said Mr. W. E. Broderick, chairman of the Wanganui Hospital Board, in an interview yesterday.

On February 4 strong recommendations had been made to the Minister by the association that 6s a day was not sufficient for the maintenance and treatment of a patient and at least 7s 6d would be required, added Mr. Broderick. This decision had been arrived at by the executive committee of the association after lengthy discussion and consultation with medical authorities of long standing from all parts of the Dominion. It was also considered that the hospital benefits should be applicable to both the inpatients and the outpatients from the same dates. The recommendations to this affect had been placed before Mr. Fraser by a deputation from the Hospital Boards’ Association headed by the president, Mr. J. W. Dove (Otago), and including the Hon. W. H. McIntyre (Buller), Messrs. J. Glover (Wellington), W. E. Broderick (Wanganui), J. Jacobs (Dunedin), A. Prentice (North Canterbury), H. G. Naylor (South Canterbury), A. Phillips (Palmerston North), J. B. Cook (Wellington), and Dr. A. D. Nelson (Christchurch). No satisfaction was obtained from the Minister, who considered 6s a day was quite sufficient.