SOME WARM COMMENT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2521, 23 July 1915, Page 2

SOME WARM COMMENT

! COMMANDEERING A HOSPITAL dr. valintine and the otaki SANATORIUM. The fact that the Director of Military Hospitals (Dr. Valintine) took possession of a section of the Otaki Hospital on Saturday week without tho knowledge or consent of the members of tho Hospital and Charitable Aid Board, was the subject of a long discussion at the monthly meeting of the board, held yesterday.

The subject was introduced by tho reading of a letter which had been forwarded by the board's secretary at tho instance of tho chairman (Mr. H. Baldwin) to the Minister of Public Health (Hon. R. H. j{bodes), and Dr. Valintiue's reply thereto. In explanation, the chairman (Mr. Baldwin) stated that he had received no information about tho taking of the hospital until he heard of it through Dr. Huthwaite on the Saturday evening. That gentleman had informed him that Dr. Valintine had said that he wanted ten beds for military cases. Dr. Huthwaite had informed Dr. Valintine that lie had so many patients there, and Dr. Valintine had said that he had better get them homo at once. Dr. Huthwaite liad only seen Dr. Valintino for five minutes at the house of one of the former's patients. The position created was now that if there were any cases between Paekakariki and Lougburn requiring hospital treatment, they either had to come to Wellington or bo taken to Pahnerston North. The Otaki Hospital was at present an infections diseases hospital. In mentioning tho treatment accorded to the troops Dy tho people of tho district;-he considered that Dr. Valintine,was going off the track, as there was distinctly a difference between billeting troops in good health and accommodating measles cases.

"I say," continued Mr. Baldwin, "that Dr. Valintino acted in a highhanded manner in commandeering the hospital in the way ho did, and 1 think I am right in saying that that is the opinion of the board.'

The Rev. J. Kennedy Elliott said that Dr. Valintine's letter was highly unsatisfactory—it only' added insult to injury. It appeared to him that not only was ho the Director of Military Hospitals, but he was the dictator and despot of hospitals. He certainly objected most emphatically to being lectured on what was his duty at. this or any other time. Dr. Valintine was going through the country like a panicpursued man, and he had no right to turn our patients out and put in military patients.-.He (Dr. Valintine) had quoted what other people had done to assist him, but they had not done so without the courtesy of being asked. Tho board could take no other stand than to lay it down that all patients should ho admitted through the board. The board was constituted for a certain purpose, to look after the-sick of tho community, and Dr. Valintine had no right to push civilians out of a hospital and put in military men. ; The Rev. H. Van Stavereji endorsed Mr. Elliot's remarks. Ho took decided objection to tho latter part of Dr. Valintine's letter. What had they done, to deserve such talk? They had given up tho whole of the Victoria Homo, and now had an empty ward with 25 beds. The chairman said that fifteen measles and two other eases had been placed in the Otaki Hospital. On July 14 ho had asked that no further measles cases bo placed there, as there were 25 beds vacant in Wellington, but since then twelve more cases had been sent to Otaki. Mr. J. Smith said that the action of Dr. Valintine in making an infectious diseases hospital of the Otaki Sanatorium precluded those people who had paid the rates from using tho place. Messrs. Gardener and C. M. Luke. were inclined to ttak that Dr. Valintine had been harassed by his strenuous duties and tho difficulties that existed in communicating with the chairman partly excused his action.