HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 745, 18 February 1910, Page 11

HOSPITAL AFFAIRS.

■":.,'.'';.' ■——»■;".'.;'; '.'"'.'-,;'",''. MINISTER: EXPLAINS HIS'MODEL" . '.' MACHINERY.. ■FIGURES OF THE MAIN CENTRES . -~V".'.;, compared.,' ;:■..'. . (By Telcerapli.—Special OorreßDona«nt.> : : , ■ . ' Auckland, Fobrnary 17. ' ', In opening ..two new... wards, costing £3000 at the Auckland. Hospitiilyesterday, the Hon. Geo. Fowlds mohtioned that last year in Auckland Hospital the' averaga. number of 215.beds occupied gave an expenditure on, provisions of £26 7s. 2d. per' bed.. Mr. Fowlds then proceeded to categorise the various . expenditures.-of ,the hospitals' at. tho four, chief'centres, and the 'comparison arrived' at showed that for, provisions Auckland' spent.-£3' per head less than Christchnrch, and £1 .less than Dunedin, but £5 10s. per bedmore than Wellington, making a total .difference in the annual' expenditure of some .£1072... Drugs ,also..eost £B 13s. Bd. per bed in Auckland, and only £5,135. ,4d. in. ; Wellington,,, where 3970 out-patients were treated as against-our 312. Auckland'was lowest.on tho list for salaries paid per': bc'oupied' bed,'the". Auckland iigure being £30. as' against £36 in Wellington ahd'Diinedih aud'SSl in Christchurch. Ho said- there;.was'no reason, however, to -believe' that -the Auckland Hospital was under-staffed,;- nor 'that the'nurses were nnduly worked. ... ..: While oh, the • subject of-.' expenditure, no'hoped-'that all boards would adopt the model system, of, hospital accounts^as .recommended by the, -recent -Hospital Conference, at Home. ,|He felt sure, after reading ;■ the. i discrepancies that, existed among tho •expenditures; of : the various hospitals: in. the ; Dominion, that _ economies could be effected; in oiir institutional management ivithout-'in .one '.whit affecting';the oomfort of, the.patients, and this, when brought about, would'allow of an extension of the operations of-the-'now. Act into" the' outlying; fields of their - libs-' ■pitai: district.'as ho had indicated. He would, however, 'bo nnjust'to : the pre- .. -sent' members: of. the Auckland: Board-.if ; he did'not say thatr'thoy:>fully recognised : the departments''in;"which .expenditure, ''had been .'excessive; ■'. .and .had, already; taken substantial measure's to. effect, .reform,, for. which .they Reserved .great credit. "■■-■"■ ■;"'■'.-: :,- >,'■'•"''--' ; .' '■'■'. ':■.'.■;■'"■

; Speaking of the newly-constituted hospital boards, ;he hoped tho public would take great' interest, in. the elections to be. held,next .month, and he trusted that the hew boards would take full advantage of .the various -clauses in .the new 'Act that allowed them, to -set up committees composed of'persons of both sexes:■ who had 'specialised ■in tho management of institutions or in other fields of-social endeavour. . He trusted' also that as ,'time went on the.boards and other local bodies : would see-.theVncciissity ,pf ; '-.the boards -assumihg the -functions of a".board: Of health; '.'and, thus' bo'jbhablcd.toVtake' .'such:measures' as,-might.r'be ..,considered' necessary to' counteract: -'those,' influences which,, if'neglected,';wero 'likely to. 'bringj ■in their -track disease'.'.and'.■•death.;!.;.He. dealt-with.'.tho .possibility now .that .all ' institutions germane, so to. speak_;-'- to .hospital and' vchnritjible; aid ■ work: were to: be "controlled in: every.'district .by one 'board;,:' Advantage could . be ; ■ confidently expected; in the. outlay,,oh food--and other supplies:- through abetter .oom-: petition from' suppliers, 'while the boards should:have'all-plant;and equipment>of, •the: best, with. staffs:,especially skilled m : , ;.the.. use;of,modern;.- machinery with, 'one; controlling 'engineer.' ';.'■ ;•'■,-!■;■:"'; ; : '.'.L'k'ix ■:■ "A: feature which- should; be; developed, also, was tho garden, which had hitherto been'somewhat neglected in tho surround-.' ings of our hospitals.- •■•ln-i.th.a' matter, of hospital gardehs,- not. only..for. vegetable 'prpducei bht'.in flower'.aridJshrub oulture;we might-well' copy, ..Germany,'' ...which; country, .could also-servo'.as 1 an; example in. the.disposal of hospital:'.'waste v :and' refuse. .' In some: Gefraaii'.liospitals - quite an appreciable: income was derived from the sale: of ■ hospital -waste.!.'-'-Another sav. ;in'g. to bo- effected by the combination-.of institutions-would -be'-in the ; medical; nursing staff.'"• 'As the -medical superinf tendent- should'exercise .a 'general control in medical matters ."-over ,'.th©', several inV stitutionsU' the. oyer the supplies and Accounts," the chief;'en-: gineer'over'.'.the^maohihery,;etc.,,so' .the matron should.exeroise a"general -control over the nursing staff,!.-and -.see:,that, a proper proportion ■of suitable nurses. was available' for the ■ various'institutions.';':