COMMANDEERING A HOSPITAL

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2518, 20 July 1915, Page 7

COMMANDEERING A HOSPITAL

QUESTION OF ETIQUETTE

v --' \ ■ ■■" v. T CONTRAST IN CONDUCT

.A-CASE IOF'URGENCY

The chairman I 'of the-Wellington Hospital Board is, somewhat irato at the 'action of the Director.of Military Hospitals (Dr. . Valintine) in commanaeering ior military purposes part of tlio Otaki •Hospitl. Sir. Baldwin's protest and ( 'Dr. Valintino's statement of .the', facts .are: set- forth, hereunder: — . '•;■■

Mr. H. Baldwin, 1 chairman of the board, states that it .was a high-handed proceeding on the part of Dr.. Valintine, and quite .an unnecessary :one, as were all in touch by telephone, and if accommodation, for the sick- was wanted in a. hurry it could havo been provided. Tho; first intimation ' that > the. hospital at Oialri was wanted came on Saturday evening, July 10, 'ill' the form of a telephone- communication from Dr. Huthwaite, the medical officer of tho hospital, who had been advised by tho Director of Military Hospitals .to got tho out as quickly as possible. Tho • menT-t'here were only half; a dozen , —:were got out io their homes, and elsewhere, but the eight women inmates were allowed to remain,; and are still, there, isolated, of course, frqm the rest of the / hospital. There are now, bo understood, in the Otaki .Hospital, eight : cases. from Trenthani. Mr. Baldwin states that the' members of the board were very indignant at what thoy'considered to be high-handed conduct 'on tho part of-Dr. .Valintine, and they certainly objected to , having their patients turned out of a hospital summarily without beine; advised of .the intended action., Mr. Baldwin said ho tancied that die ,medical fraternity must have become panic-stricken,, as , thorp were plenty of placer offering for the aocommodatiohfor siolr men. There were, •he' 1 said; only about twenty measles cases now in tho' Victoria Home, and -it would not 'be necessary now to remove tho old people to tho house on Clifton .Terrace (just above the; Terrace School). That placfe, ! the fitting np of which , had cost a gifeat deal-of Government money, was now Almost 'ready for the reception 'of inmates','whatever- they, might be. As it woultS' not be necessary to put tlie old people up there her would like to' snggest jhat it would mako a splendid convalescent home or hospital for noninfectious.: cases. Referring -once' more to tho Cttaki Hospital incident, Mr.; Bald-, win. said! he yielied to iio one in patriotism, and had it been, mado known to ■him - that for urgent reasons . tho hospital was heeded ho would have made a strenuous effort to place the building ,nt. the disposal of the authorities, 'but. ' thor was, no need "to ride , rough-shed over tho board, the members of-Vhich were doing good work for the State without,remuneration.A strong letter • had been forwarded to the Minister about tho incident. .

? V DR.: VALINTINE'S STATEMENT.

\ r A' CASE OF URGENCY;

; ..VjDr.- Valintine mado ; a statement., on • tiits matter to a: Dominion reporter yes■tisrday. "In a strenuous life," he said; : "i'i was; I think; the 'most -strenuous ' day I have ovor. had. I loft hero-on Saturday, July 10. The night before I had: been up all night arranging about tho /emptying of Trentham .Camp. I ; had. pointed out ;td-;'ifie. 1 -!aTOibrities.f't<) I move .men out in view of .the possibility, of typhus. The sudden movo entailed a lot of work on me as on others;, and I did not go to 1 bed until 2.50 a.rA; Tho next morning,. Saturday, ,1-left by-car for Waikanao and tho other ■camps/: and as I went norfilward .tho weather 'got woTse. So bad -was it that I mkde iip 'my mind that I would get .the''-men-: under .some ' better .shelter - than'tents that night if I possibly could. 'At Waikanao I found the camp awash. *1 got the. loading men . atTWaikanae to- ; getber and said to them, 'I am going to billot 500 troops on you.' 'At-tho, same ' time?, I "telephoned to: Wellington what ■•I' .-was doing, and I also telephoned to the Mayor of; Levin, telling him I Vould , billet >'§00 men on his people. These \jjeople : . agreed: to help' me without ..one ; word of-protest. I went on to Otaki - (Hospital to see about accommodation 'for. cases of sickncss,_ because I knew -tliero must bo cases in such weather. 'VHaving satisfied myself , that ; thera was room there, I told Dr., Huthwaite. that I wanted ten, bods. .'As 1 ho was in- . cliried to hesitate I impressed.upon him the urgency of the, case, and' told him I, would take all .the. responsibility, and .would put him right' with the board. I .Went on to Levin, and tho train with' the troops' on board arrived, when I was '.there: The Mayorof Lovin (Mr. B. R. Gardener), who is also a member of the ■Hospital Board, did everything he pos.sibly could do for us; on to jPalmerstoii and; saw.the men quartered Ijthere in the showground buildings and j'on the racecourse. I called 'on Dr. 'Martin at the Palmerston Hospital and .told him I wanted 50 beds in the Palmerston Hospital,- and he immediately acquiesced. .. Those beds aro all occupied now, and Dr. Martin and the Pal•morston Board .have helped ns m every . possible way. , "I did not tell Dr. Huthwaite to Tturn out his patiems to make room for lis. I.' told him to make the best ar•frangoments he could. Contrast the at.titudo of, the chairman of the board with the action of the IJeyin and Waikanao. people.' "I' told them ,1 ' wanted jbillets for'soo men at eacli place,, and I told them also that therp was a; remote risk of infection, but 1 in view of /tho urgency of the case I ventured to 'suggest that they should take; that'jisk, in the interests of tjie; men. ' They ididn't raise any questions about any- ' thing;. They -understood the 'urgency . of/the' case, and they' helped us out. I can't speak too highly'of'the splendid , service'they rendered'.to us; As/to the question- of whether I should have rung bp Mr. Baldwin, I wish to point oiit to him that I had to, act \ hastily, and I ■had to act in the. rain; and & the mud. ■I did try to ring up Colonel Gibbon that jafternbon, but I' could not get' him. fciWas it reasonable that'r should try to vget Mr. Baldwin, who lives at, the •Hutt?" Dr. Valintine related also his experiences in Mastbrton, where ho had 'to make heavy; demands on tho Masterton people without any warning. • Those demands wore all met by the Mas-. torton people without any . question •^whatever.