Thank you for correcting the text in this article. Your corrections improve Papers Past searches for everyone. See the latest corrections.

This article contains searchable text which was automatically generated and may contain errors. Join the community and correct any errors you spot to help us improve Papers Past.

Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image
Article image

HEALTH SERVICES

IN REMOTE DISTRICTS

| DOCTORS AND NURSES Tho Hon. G. W. Russell, lately Minister of Public Health, sent the following circular to all hospital boards before his retirement:— I desire to draw the attention of hospital boards and local authorities to the provision made for the supply of nurses ami doctors to outer districts: — District .Nurses,—Tho Department has for some timo past been steadily developing a scheme of district, nurses oil the following lines: (1) The nurses are, wherever possible, possessed of bo'.h medical and maternity certificates. (2) They are entitled to charge fees according to sohedule provided by - tho Department from tlioso able to pay, and are to reduce tho fees or serve gratuitously in necessitous oases. The fees collected are to bo paid into the hospital boards' funds, which will control tlio expenditure and pay the nurses. (3) The nurses will be a charge against the hospital board. (4) The appointments will vest in the board after consultation with the Inspector-General of Hospitals. (5) Tho salaries and emoluments will be fixed by the Department, after consultation with the boards in order to secure uniformity.

Doctors.—Two important advances regarding the appointment of doctors were mtulo in the Public Health Amendment Act. 1918: (1) Under clause,l4 power was given to any local authority (coimty council, borough council, or road board) to apply to the Minister to provide a doctor for the district, or for two or more districts agreeable to join in .the undertaking. Any deficiency In the 'doctor's earnings, under giiarwitee, can be provided out of the rates or by a special rate. This scheme has many advantages, chiefly; that the financial responsibility for the doctors, outside the fees collected, is spread over the entire' property of tho district or districts affected. , (3) Under clause 25 of the same .Act it is provided ,that any local authority may pay out of its ordinary .funds moneys tn,'assistance of any society, organisation, or institution, not established for purposes of profit, and whose object is to promote publio health. Under this clause the necessary power is given to oounty councils, borough couucils, and road boards to grant subsidies to medioal associations and clubs from their ordinary funds.

Under section 190 of the Counties Act, 1908; wide powers aro also given, to county councils to contribute from their funds iu or. towards the erection or maintenance of hospitals or for relief purposes.

It will thus be seen the law now provides ample means by which efficient nursing and medical services can ho provided for settlers in the outer district?. I therefore recommend hospital boards to. work in conjunction with this Department and the county councils, borough councils, or road boards of their district in encouraging the establishment of medical associations ard'clnhs fw t'n provision of nurses and doctors In the outer districts. The people who push settlement back and become producers in the outer districts have many trials and discomforts, not the least being those attached to health, mining, maternity, and medical services. By the combination of the State, the Hospital Board (upon whom is specially laid the important duty of guarding the health of the people iu their districts) and the local authorities, the cost would be reduced to a minimum, and a higher standard of public health would he secured. "

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19190826.2.65

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 6

Word count
Tapeke kupu
550

HEALTH SERVICES Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 6

HEALTH SERVICES Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 283, 26 August 1919, Page 6

Help

Log in or create a Papers Past website account

Use your Papers Past website account to correct newspaper text.

By creating and using this account you agree to our terms of use.

Log in with RealMe®

If you’ve used a RealMe login somewhere else, you can use it here too. If you don’t already have a username and password, just click Log in and you can choose to create one.


Log in again to continue your work

Your session has expired.

Log in again with RealMe®


Alert