HOSPITAL POLICY

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Volume 58, Issue 69, 23 April 1929, Page 8

HOSPITAL POLICY

ARE THERE TOO MANY ADAIISSIONS? CITY FATHERS REY1EW. MATTER

Tliei'e was a general discussion on hospital imlmy at the meeting of the Napier City Council last night, when the Hawke's Bay Hospital Board advised that the levy on the borough tliis year would be £6207 compared witli £4386 in 1926. The Alayor, Air J. Yigor Brown, said that it seemed a reasonable levyA. The liospital was a growing instituUoQ and it was only natural that tlie expcnse should increase. Cr. \Y. G. Alartin expressed the opinion that many people who formerly uere treated in their own liomes at their own cxpen.se wero liow sent tot tlic hospital by tlie doetors and treated at the expense of tlic ratepayers. "Honcstly," he said, "I think too many niinor ailments are treated in hospital " He expressed the opinion that this increase in the number of admissious was rcsponsible for ihe increased hospital cxpenditurc. Cr. A. 1*7. Bcdford. a member of the Hospital Board, said it had heen recognised by medieal raen tliat the number of admissious was growing. The matter had been gone into fully by tlie board and was receiving attention. Cr. P. F. Higgins eommentcd 011 Cr. Alartin' s suggestion that the doetors were scnding too many minor cases into hospital. _ "Tlie majority of tliose cases are sent in by tlie honorary staff of the hospital," he said, "and the attention to them is provided free. By doing tlrat tlie doetors deprive themselves of feos that tliey would earn by treatiug tlie patients in their own liomes. That is a public spirited action, and I should like to pay a trihute to tlie work the honorary staff do." Cr. Bedford: AYhat Cr. Higgins says is quite correct. Cr. J. C Bryant: Therp is another aspect. How many people who can ]iay for treatment in the liospitals do not pav for it? Tlie Alayor gave an illustration of a person af instancc of patients having to meet their fees, even poor people. Cr. Bryant: But how many poor ponle pay wliile those who can don't? Cr. Bedford stated that those who could pay were made to pay, but no oue who could not pay was ever forced to. Tlie discussion closcd withpuf further comment.