THE DISTRICT HOSPITAL.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXIX, Issue 42, 18 February 1908, Page 2

THE DISTRICT HOSPITAL.

YEAR'S WORK REVIEWED.

The annual report .of the Hon. staff .of the Auckland District Hospital was presented to the Hospital Board yesterday. The medical committee recorded the excellent "way Jn which Dr. Aieken had ■performed his many duties. The nurses iad on the -whole shown- aptitude and zeal in their work and studies, but during the past year Sad bad unusual difficulties to contend with, the staff "being -short of the xegulation. number, jvhile the prevalence of epidemic diseases had made their work unusually heavy. The results of the examinations hold in the lospital had been fairly satisfactory. The report referred to the number of applicants for admission" not fitted, for hospital including cases | of'chronic ailments in elderly peoii'c,, .cases of mental disease, infants requiring proper 'foo3 and attention rather ■than medical treatment, and cases" in disease was alleged, but which,! after admission, showed- no signs of :ail-l ment. These latter, and many of the' former, appeared to be not wanted inj the home. Once inthe hospital it was.' difficult to get their guardians to move them, and then repeated re-ad-missions in a worse condition than previously showed a culpability or ignorance, which suggested that in some instances the State should remove tho; children from their home surroundings, and place them under proper care. The only new building-yet erected was ,t!i3 isolation cottage, which had prayed thoroughly satisfactory. The completion of the new sanitary towers in She;: main building had proved a great o.oonj The alteration of the old towers wr.s still incomplete, tip long delay adding to tte discomfort of patients and stafi. The efficiency and economy of work was still impaired by inadequate and scattered accommodation, and the committee strongly urged that there should be' no delay in continuing the scheme of building and alterations, the first necessity being improvement in the main building, the erection of the administrative block being a necessary prelim-' mary to this. The occupation of the 'new for scarlet fever'and diph-! theria had been one of the more note-| .-worthy events of the year. The "pres-! enee of cases of consumption in the gen-| eral wards continued to be a source ofj anxiety to ""the staff. They insistedthat some provision might in the riear xactire be made, but not in the hospital grounds. The Cambridge sanatorium afforded no relief to the hospital, owing to delay in securing admission, and the fact that most of the cases were too advanced or showed symptoms contraindicating the desirability of sanatorium treament.