TEMPORARY HOSPITALS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 43, 15 November 1918, Page 6

TEMPORARY HOSPITALS

i OFFER OP ST. PATRICK'S COLLEGE ACCEPTED. ■ ! A temporary hospital wns established ■ in St. John's Schoolroom, Dixon Street', yesterday, and was last night well filled | -, with ' serious case's. An urgent appeal i ; was made during the day for voluntary i workers at,' this institution, and it is ■ understood thai enough was forthcoming ' last evening -to arrange shifts. Those i i in charge of tho hospital would be glad to receive gitts of fruit, soup, and suit- ; Rble light foods-for invalids. : . The authorities of St. Patrick's Col- • • lege offered the college to. the Health ■ Department as a hospital, and, the fine i building teinjf eminently suited 1 for the • purpose, tjie generous offer was accepted, and as the liig airy dormitories arc '. all clear (the boarders "having been sent \ to their homes on Wednesday) all will : be in readiness for patients tn-ilny. j There should be room in (he college- ; for at least a hundred patients. I The Town Hall was to have been con- ; verted into a temporary hospital yes- ■ terday, and the Mayor was informed by i Major ArCrystell (Defence Stores) that ■ beds and equipment) were to be sent ! (lo.wu. immediately. The whole of tho. ' ground floor wn« cleared of chairs, and ; preparations were bein? made to clear ; eni the surrounding offices for hospital ■ jj», when tho order was countermanded. ! Xiaier i'n tin day the Mayor learned that i it was still intended to nee the hall as ft hospital, • but as ' not;h£iip official

eventuated he assumed that the report was not a correct one. Sir. Luke thought tlmb the'.decision was not a wise one, 'as the possession of a lug central hospital was, he 'thought, .preferable to a large number of email ones, j and would certainly be a saving in the \ help required. It is assumed (hat the acceptance of Hio offer of St. Patrick's College influenced'the Public Health authorities. i Temporary hospitals are also being established in the Thorndou' (Normal) School] and in the >lt. Cook Girls' School; Buckle Street (which, by the way, is within the shadow of St. Patrick's College). NEED OF CONCENTRATING CASKS. An offer of the use of tiro dormitories at St. Patrick's College, each ea-pnblo | of'accommodating 35 pudients, was made to tho Minister of Public Health yesterday, and was accepted. They will be prepared at once lor the reception «f j patients. | Possession has also been- taken of the j Normal School at Thorndon' for use «8 ; a hospital, and it is being furnished I with the necessary equipment. Probably I this building will be ■ used for the ac- i commodation of women and children, of which it will hold a large number. The Minister stated last night that after Mie buildings mentioned bad been filled, the next .place to be dealt with would be the Mount Cook Giils' High School, which would also hold a considerable number of people. "The object'of the Public Health Department in making these arrangements is to concentrate influenza patients as much as possible in institutions where they can be easily dealt with by the medical and nursing staffs." eaid the "It will l>6 '.vidojit that if in an institution there are ,50 patients, probably one medical raan and two trained nurses | and voluntary helpers will be able to j deal with the whole of them, whereas it i would ba utterly impossible to dor.l with ] the same number if they were scattered ' a!! over _ the city in their house.-;. The j policy will certainly make for efficiency ■ and prevent overlapping. In Hi* rcietm- j tiiae, the Government are prepared in i arrange with the medical men of the j city that in all casfe where there are | persons who require treatment In their j own homes, they l ; will pay the practl- i tioners for these, cases on the proper j conditions of report with regard to them."