HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 7, Issue 98, 11 August 1944, Page 4

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS

Sir,—l, Phill Maddcrn would like to voicc my experience through your paper on the above. I had the pleasure of being in that hospital in the latter part of. March this year and if the Matron wants to know when 'Silver Beet' was in she l should ask the acting-Matron at that time to check up on this. Mrs Haul tain came round m the last week in March. At that time we were having a bad run of silver beet and once that tasteless bush marrow. Now the food—plenty! Yes! Was: it good? Sometimes—yes. Majority of times too well cooked. Was it varied? No! Too much stewed meat and boiled silver beet. In my opinion the silver be.ot was cooked and cooked in an aluminium pot which is definitely poisonous.. Now a little word on water glasses. These should be clean and clear. Instead they looked as if they have been, boiled in soapy water- taken, out, and water put into thefri for patients to drink in a cloudy state. I would not drink mine and told the Nurse that they were filthy. Nurse said they were not because: they had been boiled, that didn't alter the fact that they were dirty. Your readers are given to understand that eggs are plentiful. They may have been but not in that hospital at. my time, because my wife brought in some for me next morning. I gave one to a patient who was in seven weeks before me. He said he didn't know what they looked like for it was a long time since he had seen one. Another instance about eggs was that the Nurse knoss-? ing I had eggs came, one night, and asked me to sell her two for supper as 'she. said she could not stand the cold ham every night for supper. E d'id not sell her any but gave her a couple. Now the, treatment—it is very coarse. Its either kill or cure..There were times I could not stand noise. What would I get? the bed knocked with the broom or a hearty laugh or a shout which would go through my stomach like ripples on a pool. I won't tire you or your readers Mr Editor, but I must mention one more thing. Is it usual for the hospital authorities to have a meningitis case in the same ward as: boys who have just been operated on for tonsils. This is a fact Mr Editor be-' lieve it or not. Yours etc,, P. MADDERN. Te Te'ko. (In connection with the more serious allegation by our correspondent, we have obtained the following explanation. from the Med'ical Superintendent. (Dr. Dawson). "The case referred to covers a child who was suffering from Tuberculosis Meningitis a complaint which is not in any way infectious." Ed.)