HOSPITAL REFORM

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 300, 13 September 1920, Page 5

HOSPITAL REFORM

Sir—By your courtesy I hßvc on two former occasions been permitted -to -give publicity to tho reasonable claims of nurses at the Wellington apd other-pub-lic hospitals, and on one occasion you have in a leading article expressed similar views. It is therefore ((ratifying to read in your columns that the Hon. Mr. Parr. Minister of Public Health, proposes on behalf of the Government to introduce a Bill for the reform of publichospitals, and that such Bill will contain a clause providing that nurses shall have ono clear day during each week for rest and recreation, for at tho Wellington Hospital they are compelled to be on dutv or at work every day of tho week for an averago of about ten hours. At the principal London hospitals and those of New South Wales nurses areal. lowed one day per week for relaxation.It is regrettable that compulsion is necessary in this Dominion to obtain from hospital boards this consideration for nurses, and it appears probable that the latter liavo gone to tho wall by reason of their loyalty in not creating guilds, or associations to support their claims for fair treatment. In the proposed Bill it is important that no loopholo is left by which its spirit may be broken, such as by an increase of hours of duty and. curtailment, of holiday leave, which should be fixed bv statute, for at tho present time at the Wellington Hospital they aro not observed bv those in authority. Tho average number of hours worked by nurses being nearer ten or eleven than eight, ns alleged by the Hospital Board, for nurses aro frequently detained overtime in tho wards; they are required to attend to study for one hour daily; also to attend lectures and classes for cookery, bandaging, etc. As regards holiday leave, although nurses aro supposed to have a thrco week's vacation annually, there aro cases in the Wellington Hospital of nurses now in tlwii' third year who have only been allowed one holiday since thoy entered the hospital, tho reason gh-en by the matron for this injustice being that she is short of nurses; and can it be wondered at, considering tho hours worked and tho miserable salaries paid? I have net alluded at length to tho niiestlon of salaries, for this will adjust itself, and is doing so now, nurses not caring to take up tho work under tho existing corditions. Tn defence of the very low salaries paid, the Hospital Board has contended that they were rea-' 6onablo. as tho nurses were learning their I profession; but may not this argument 'be as illogieallv advanced against tho. payment of anv skilled wage-earner,, for who ever ceases to learn their profession? Tho Hospitn', Board likewise advances as another reason for the low wages paid: that "uniforms" are supplied to tho nurses free. The "uniform" supplied at Wellington Hospital solely consists or .a print calico garment. The salaries paid barely keep the nurses in footwear and underclothi.,g.-I H ani, i e r tc. i • September «, *&*■