PUBLIC HEALTH.

Dominion, Volume 5, Issue 1267, 24 October 1911, Page 3

PUBLIC HEALTH.

——{. ■ THE ANNUAL HOSPITALS REPORT. OPERATION OF TIIE NEW ACT. PRESENT I3OAEDS TOO LARGE. Tho annual Tepert of Dr. Valintine, Inspector-General of Hospitals, upon Public Health ami Hospitals ami Charitable Aid in the Dominion, was presented to Parliament .yesterday. In opening, Dr. Valintine slate that the report should havo heen presented in July, and attributes tho delay that has occurred to the difficulty of getting sonic hospital secretaries to furnish their returns. Some of these did not come to hand until September. The Inspector-General suggests an amendment to the Act making it incumbent on hospital secretaries to furnish their returns by a specified (late. Public Health. Tho Public Health report is for tho year ended December 31, 1910. The birthrate of the Dominion was 20.17, a-s against 27.29 in the previous year. The actual number cf births was 25,931 in 1010, as compared with 26.524 in 1909. \ ictoria excepted, where the birth-rate is 24.m, New Zealand has the lowest birth-rate m The 1 death rate in 1910 was 9.71; in the previous year it was 9.22. t The hifantilG mortality rate per 1000 births was 01. (, as against 61.G in tho preyious year. Tho death-rate from tubercular diseases (7.38 pcx 10,000) was the lowest hitnerto recorded in the Dominion. In tho preyious year there were S.L.I pox 10,000, The actual number of deaths was 731 in 1910 and 800 in 1909. Dr. Vahntine declaros himself hopeful tlmt the srccici} decrease in death-rate i'rom > those uiseases will at least be maintained. It is hoped that during the coming year a scheme for the medical inspection of school children will be put into operation. , Vaccination. Alludin" to the scare which arose when the Knight of tho Garter armed at Lyttelton with a case of smallpox aboard, Dr. Valintine states that such events will always cause anxiety to the Department, while the population is practically unprotected against smallpox. Ho mentions that out of 20,000 infants born, every year in the Dominion, only five per ccJit. are vaccinated, and while not advising a repeal of the present law, states that it would be better to repeal it, unless it is to be more vigorously administered than heretofore, and, ill the event of ail outbreak of smallpox, to provido by Order-in-Council that all persons within a certain area l>c vaccinated unless they can slnw satisfactory evidence of recent vaccination. Almost without exception hospital boards have appointed the necessary officers to give effect to the change in the law making them responsible for tho control of infectious diseases. Hospitals and Charitable Aid. Though receipts in the Denartiuent of Hospitals and Charitable Aid have increased by .£50,000, the levies ou local authorities have increased by only .02513. Exncndituro on new buildings increased by' some ,£20,000. One-third of the increase of, roughly, .£15,000 in subsidies is accounted for by tho increase of ■£4372 in voluntary contributions. Payments by patients increased by -C 5241. From this source one-sixth of tho total hospital expenditure is now derived. Tho cost per occupied bed has decreased steadily during tho last four years. In 1907-S the cost was .£l2B 18s.; in 1908-9, £110 55.; in ISO 9-10, JCIOO 75.; in 1910-11, £30 19s. The cost of hospital and charitable administration has increased for tho year by .C 3152. T'iio Inspector-General states that this was anticipated, and that, in fact, a larger expenditure was feared. Jfo adds that many of the boards recognise that they consist of too many members, which not only militates against effective work, but increases travelling expenses. Cost of administration, it is stated, will not diminish. Increasing rcsponsibilities devolving on boards necessitate a larger executive staff or .an increase in pay to oflic:rs w;ho have to assume larger responsibilities. "Speaking generally," Dr. Valintine remarks, "our hospital secretaries are not paid in proportion to their responsibilities." Ho adds that this is one of tho worst forms of hospital economy. New Act Working Well. So far, the Inspector-General remarks, thero is every reason to believe that tho new Act is working well, and meeting the difficulties that brought it into being. At the Hospitals Conference in June last no serious alterations of the law were suggested. Troubles that havo arisen have been largely administrative. That tho boards are too largo is generally admitted, but they have not taken sufficient advantage of their power to form committees. In somo cases trouble has arisen between the chairman and tho principal committees, and in others antagonism has arisen between the committees and the board, which has brought about that very state cf affairs that it was hoped would be obviated by the new Act. Dr. Valintine remarks that when once a committee—presumably of competent men—has been appointed, it should be allowed considerable latitude by its parent board. It is irritating to members of a committee, who have perhaps spent hours in discussing a subject, to find their recommendations animadverted upon by members who have not given the same time to the subject. In nine cases out of ten, lie states, the committee is right, and a great deal of time, irritation, and expense would bo saved and tho work better done if tho reports of a oommittee were adopted after its chairman had answered a low questions. Charitable Aid. The cost of indoor charitable aid in 1910-11 v.oa £62,548, and of outdoor relief £33,051. In the previous year the figures were respectively £G4,33G and £38,958. Thero is thus shown a. total decrease of £7425. Dr. Valintine considers this distinctly satisfactory. Ho mentions that this is tho lowest expenditure sinco 1904-5, and adds that the decrease not only speaks for the general prosperity of the Dominion, but also for a better administration. Ho foreshadows a further reduction in the cost of outdoor relief now that the boards have provided officers for inquiry into the circumstances of applicants and recipients. Referring to nurses, tho InspectorGeneral states, inter alia, that he obtained the permission of tho predecessor of tho present Minister to offer through the Colonial Nursing Association assured positions to a limited number of nurses who might care to try their fortunes in tho Dominion. On arrival these nurses will be drafted to vacancies on tho permanent staff of the General Hospital, or take, as per agreement, any duties assigned them.