28Recovery of expenses of treatment of sick.
(1)It shall be lawful for the county council of every county and the town council of every large burgh to recover from any person who has been maintained by them in any institution, (other than as an inmate of an institution for the purpose of receiving treatment for infectious disease), or from any person legally liable to maintain that person, a reasonable charge in respect of the expenses incurred by the council in the maintenance and treatment of that person, or, if the council are satisfied that the person from whom such charge is recoverable is unable, by reason of circumstances other than his own default, to pay the whole of such charge such part thereof, if any, as he is in the opinion of the council able to pay.
(2)For the purpose of this section " institution " means any hospital, maternity home, or other residential institution.
(3)Nothing in this section shall affect any right which a council may have under any enactment or otherwise to recover expenses other than the charge in respect thereof to which the foregoing provisions of this section apply.