THE ROTORUA HOSPITAL

Waikato Times, Volume 94, Issue 14775, 14 October 1921, Page 7

THE ROTORUA HOSPITAL

AN INCREASED CONTRIBUTION. WAIKATO BOARD’S OBJECTION. An arrangement has been in existence for some years by which the Waikato Hospital Board contributed £3OO per annum towards the maintenance of the Rotorua cottage hospital. The Director-General of Health (Dr. Valintine) is of opinion, now that the hospital has been closed and King George Hospital is to be available as a civilian Hospital in the Rotorua dis- j trict and having also in view the ex- 1 c,client arrangements made for the infections diseases hospital there, that the. question of the Board’s contribution should he reconsidered. j As the matter now stands Rotorua Town contributes to the Board £338. Rotorua County £3l i, and East Tanpo £210; subsidy at 12s 3d in the £ these sums was £552, making a total of £1153. Dr. Valentine suggested to the Board yesterday, in view of the fact that apart from the excellence of the hospital accommodation the facilities for an adequate medical service were much greater than when the residents of Rotorua and district had to rely upon the somewhat limited facilities of the cottage hospital, that the Board should contribute the whole of the levies from ; the local bodies mentioned, together , with subsidy, after deducting 5 per cent for administrative nr incidental expenses in connection therewith, and also Ihe actual cost of indoor and outdoor charitable relief given by the Board in respect of persons from East Taupo and Rotorua town and county. The secretary, Mr Gnnradi, said that j charitable aid in Rotorua alone cost! £l2O a year. | Mr Johnstone held that the request | should not be viewed in ioo favourable ; 1 a light. It had to be remembered that ; i Ihe patients at Rotorua were practic- ] ally all from outside the district. Roto- j rua was really forced on the Board and i they should not depart from the original conditions. Mr Bailey said that the Board should . not agree to any alteration. Rotorua was a. tourist resort. That fact brought the people there, and if they became , destitute the Board had to keep them. ' Rotorua was in a different position to j • an agricultural district. ! Mr Dickinson remarked that he had intimated to Dr. Valintine that the Board never wished for Rotorua dis- i Iriel. Now Ihat Ihe hospital was being ■ Iransferred from military to civil the , burden was desired to he placed on the ( Board. He pointed out to Hie InspectorGeneral that rather than Ihat the Board ' ( would prefer severance and allowing | King George institution In he Ihe base. ; hospital for the East Coast district. ; , Mr Conradi said that Ihe present ar- | rancrement was that Ihe Board paid j £3OO in cash to Ihe Department and j also waived the subsidy on Ihat amount. | , East Taupo was never taken inlo eon- j sideralion in that arrangement. I , The Board resolved to reply that i! ' x was not in favour of the increased pay- ( nient. and (e, point out also Ihat there ) was no provision on Ihe Estimates for , il. The Board’s desire for the area I > J he severed will also be reiterated to Ihe , Department. j (