Boards at Variance

Waipukurau Press, Volume XIV, Issue 45, 19 April 1930, Page 3

Boards at Variance

WAIPUKURAU AND DANNEVIRKE DISPUTE OVER HOSPITAL FEES. The long-standing claim of the Dannevirke Hospital Board against the local Board for fees incurred in the treatment of patients outside the Dannevirke Board’s district (Herbertville) following on the formation of the two Hospital Board districts, was advanced a further stage at Wednesday’s meeting of the Waipawa Hospital Board at Waipukurau. On the recommendation of the finance committee it w r as decided to authorise the payment of £325 5/to the Dannevirke Board, payment to be made w’hen the Board’s financial position permitted. In reference to ' the matter the chairman (Mr W. H. Rathbone) detailed the steps taken to date and said that the spirit of the reciprocal agreement had been deplorably absent. Continuing, the chairman made the following statement: — “In connection with the claim by the Hawke’s Bay Board, which had been going on for some 10 years, no steps were taken to have this settled until 1927. The Dannevirke and Waipawa Boards had then split, but the Waipaw’a Board was ruled as a successor to the old Board and had to accept responsibility for payment to the Hawke’s Bay Board, although a resolution was on the books before the dissolution that the liquid assets and liabilities should be equally divided. “At this time the Hawke’s Bay Board had a claim of over £l5OO against the old Waipawa Board and. ,had authority from the Department that payment must be made. After an enormous amount of negotiation between the new’ Waipawa Board and. Hawke’s Bay Board, in which practically the whole of the Board’s boundaries were traversed in endeavouring to prove a claim for the V aipawa Board, the Hawke’s Bay Board and the Waipawa Board at last reached finality. ‘No steps w’ere taken whatever by the Dannevirke Board, and the Waipawa Board on its own shoulders had to fight the claim, Dannevirke Board agreeing in terms of the resolution before the dissolution, to pay 50 per cent, thereof. “After a strenuous battle, this Board was able to get the Dannevirke Board settlement, for its proportion of the Hawke’s Bay Board’s large claim, for the sum of £319 2/9, and there is no doubt that had it not been for our endeavours this sum W’ould have been doubled at least as the largest factor in the Hawke’s Bay Board’s claim w r as for charitable aid granted to a family who moved to Napier from Dannevirke, the disbursements on their behalf alone totalling £4OO. “The whole of the costs of administration and the travelling expenses incurred in settlement of this tedious work was borne by us. ‘The facts are mentioned to show that the Waipawa Board as at present constituted has done all in its power to help the Dannevirke Board and now thatxit has asked the Dannevirke Board to meet it, that Board has demanded its “pound of flesh.”

“Therefore, from these circumstances it will be readily seen that we have no other course open but to do away with reciprocity for treatment of patients under Section 92 of the Act, and yet, by taking this step, we have been called to task by the Dannevirke Board.” The chairman was thanked for his explanation and the decision to determine the reciprocal agreement with the Dannevirke Board as from April Ist, 1930, was confirmed.