ISOLATION WARD.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 282, 7 December 1901, Page 4

ISOLATION WARD.

CuM'.'iUKXCK OF COMMITTF. INS

A MKr.TiM, wos hi-',.] yi-sterday afternoon of u!f jour, c■ jll]i11i1 1 ijs in regard to the proposed isolation ward. There were pp. .sent: Toe Mayo,- (Mr Towniev) and Messrs Johnston, Warren, Nolan, Harding. Joyce, uml T. A. Coleman i Hospital Secretary'). An apology was received troiu Mr Lysnar, who was unable to yet lit from

the country. A plan for a ward was submitted byMr Finneran, architect, a rough estimate of the cost being £7OO, without drainage or fencing.

Mr Warren said that such a building was too costly. dir Nolan said that was not for the Hospital Trustees to consider if the Charitable Aid Hoard found the money, but for his part he did not think that the finances would stand such an expenditure for what after oil would only he exceptional cases. There would also be the extra stall required, -V suggestion that he approved of had been made to him by Mr Jones, that they might give a small sum to a married couple as a retaining fee, to take in any exceptional case, and to be paid for the nursing when required, the patient refunding the Hoard for that. The Mayor: I do not know anyone who would take it. Mr Nolan: "I suppose you have not tried. Anyway, it is only a theory, and you may not see your way to spend £7OO. Mr Harding : His Worship gut into one trouble. Mr Nolan : That is a different thing altogether. The Mayor : I thought ,£SOO would be the outside cost. We do not want a very big place. Mr Warren said it would bo absurd to have such a large place. His Worship said that if an ordinary cottage could he used, as suggested by Mr Nolan, why would not a smaller place than on the plan do now Mr Nolan said that it was doubtful if the Government would pass it. Mr Harding : Is the plan in accordance with the letter '! Mr Warren : Yes, but enlarged as far as you dare do —a ward 24 by 18 ! Mr Joyce: It shows how extravagant arc the ideas of some men. Mr Nolan : You have got to get a plan that will pass. Mr Warren: I should bo opposed to anything of this kind. Mr Nolan : As one of the Trustees I do not care what you do, and am only speaking generally. The Mayor: This is only the first idea.

Mr Nolan : You may want two nurses. Continuing, ho said that such a case as that of cancer could not bo put in the same ward. Mr Johnston said that Dr. DeLislc had stated that cancer patients were treated in the Napier isolation ward. Mr Coleman said that Miss Neild had stated that cancer patients should not on any account go into the same ward. Mr Johnston saidit was done in Napier, the isolation wards being thoroughly disinfected afterwards. Mr Warren said that it would only be trying to kill people. A man with scarlet fever would otherwise be a healthy person, but put him alongside a cancer patient and he was likely to lose his life. Mr Johnston said that cancer patients had been taken into the local hospital. Mr Nolan said that they did not admit bad patients. Mr Warren said if they wanted to erect an expensive building like that on the plan it should be away from population. The idea was that by being handy to the hospital the appliances would bo ready in ease of emergency, but if they were going to the expense of £IOO0 —which this plan really meant with drainage, fencing, etc., —they should have it a distance away ; evidently provision for cancer patients would have to be made separately. The time, ho thought, was not far distant when the hospital would be away from the town; he looked forward to living long enough to see the hospital removed out near Makaraka. The Mayor said that in the Old Counfcry there were hospitals in the heart of the city, Mr Warren said that was the result of ignorance in earlier days. They had now small-pox in some of the largo cities, and could not get rid of it. The Mayor said the object was to have an inexpensive building. It was thought that in the hospital grounds it would bo away from passers-by, and if a sudden emergency arose a nurse from tho hospital might be spared to take charge of the case. It was not suggested that a stafl of professional nurses should bo kept, Mr Nolan ; I do not suggest that, but seeing that the hospital staff are kept working as closely as they can—some Trustees think they are worked too closely—in order to provido for cases such as suggested you will have to keep at least one or more regular nurses. The Mayor said that the subsidising of a person to take in contagious eases was a new idea, but the object was to reduce to tho lowest point the probability of the infection spreading. Ho could not say how the idea would act, but certainly they should not go to a greater expense for a building than £SOO. Mr Johnston : We should cut it down to £SOO. Mr Nolan : You cannot cut it down beyond a certain point; the Government will not approve of it. The Mayor : Tell tho Government they will have to submit to our ideas. Mr Coleman: You cannot make them submit you will find that out if you

try. The Mayor: I know wo are largely in their hands ; still, wo must come down to a reasonable figure. Mr Nolan said the plans could be submitted to Dr McGregor. As to furniture, the Mayor said that would be of the plainest kind, and Mr Warren said that old bedding that had been used at the hospital could bo washed and used at the ward. After further discussion, it was resolved that the Trustees be asked to obtain a plan for a building at a cost not exceeding TSOO. During the course of the discussion Mr Nolan said that a cheaper plan might be submitted ; but the question was whether the Government would pass it — it was not for the Trustees to say. The Mayor replied that however that might be, the Board wanted to work with the Trustees in the matter. The hospital, he stated, had been started as a cottage hospital, which had met the requirements of the place at that time, and they could start the isolation ward also on a small scale.

It was suggested that in the plan only one double chimney would he required; one bathroom, and a verandah to be round one side instead of three.