HOSPITALS & CHARITABLE AID.

Gisborne Times, Volume XXVI, Issue 2282, 29 August 1908, Page 1

HOSPITALS & CHARITABLE AID.

(Special to “Times.”)

WELLINGTON, August 28.

Hospital and Charatiblo Aid expenditure has increased from £288,808 in the 1907 year to £315,196 in the year 1908. The increase for hospitals was £24,838 and for charitable aid £1550, making, tho total increase for tho year £26,388. These figures are given in the report of the Inspector-General of Hospitals and Charitable Instutions presented to Parliament to-day. This year’s report is largely taken up with statistical tables., included, no doubt, in view of the passing of the new Act dealing with hospitals and charitable aid. There was a decrease of £lslO in the amount received as voluntary contributions. Dr. Valintine suggested a special Hospital .Saturday and Sunday in the various centres in order to receive voluntary contributions. In regard to the largo increase in hospital expenditure it is to be noted that 1639 more patients were treated than in tho year previous. f It is not probable that there will bo any decrease in this expenditure for some time to come. The expenses of several recent additions to hospitals are not included in this year’s accounts, and during the coining year considerable extensions are contemplated at no less than ten hospitals. An examination into the largo increaso in salaries, £63,171 as against £55652 ill 1906-7 shows that the salaries were increased at forty-four and reduced at five hospitals. At four institutions tlie salaries remain as they were. The chief cause of this increase is undoubtedly due to an extra demand and a difficulty in obtaining registered nurses in many instances. Also tho salaries of medical superintendents have been raised and extra appointments have been made. In view of the waste in the gas consumption, absorbent wool, gauze, antiseptics, etc., by the nurses, it is suggested that it would be well to include a question on Hospital Economics in the final Stato examination.

Dr. Valintine makes somo pertinent remarks about chronic cases as follows: —In my last year’s report I commented strongly on tho facl that so many chronic cases were being treated in our hospitals, and deplored the absence of institutions for tlie reception and treatment of chronic and incurable cases which occupy our hospital beds to the exclusion of the acutely ill. TRo worst offenders in this respect arc our large hospitals and those of the "West Coast, but now that an excellent chronic ward has been provided at the Costley Home, Auckland, and tho Ashburton and North Canterbury Charitnblo Aid Board are about to build incurable wards in connection with their institutions at Ljnwood and Ashburton, it is to he hoped that Auckland and Christchurch respectively will be able to free their hospitals of chronics and incurables. Through the goner-, osity of the Wellington people that hospital lias an excellent ward for such unfortunates. It is to he hoped that the Civersha ni Benevolent Trustees will continue to relieve tho Dunedin Hospital in tlie same direc-

tion. Tho former institution has four suitable wards copnblo of accommodating sixty patients. Oamaru and Invercargill lmvo excellent wards attached to their old men’s homes; consequently with tho exception of tho AVost Coast thero is no real need for an additional chronic ward in the South Island. In tho North Island beside tho Costloy Homo in Auckland and tho Victoria Ward, Wellington, Napier is about to lie provided with a chronic ward, which is urgently needed. Though there is much to be said in favor of treating chronic and incurable cases in a special ward in tho hospital grounds, 1 am personally against such a scheme and much prefer such wards being established in connection with old men’s homes whore thero aro many inmates slightly paralysed who badly neod the ministration of a female nurse-rather than the rough hut wellmeant assistance of their fel-low-inmates. No charitable iiist’tution should he without a trained nurse. Moreover, if the chronic cases bo treated in wards connected with a charitable institution it would prevent a great deal of hospital abr. . Many people have 110 scruples i.:i blowing their relatives to reipai.jLiuJ.lio hospital from year’s end -to year’s end without paying the hospital fees, but the samo peoplo would mako a strenuous effort to keep them from tho charitable institutions. Many of these patients could bo treated at their own homes with tho occasional assistance of a district nurse. Tho average daily cqst per patient in tho four large hospitals was: Wellington 3s lid, Auckland 4s hOd, Christchurch 5s 7id, Dunedin 5s 6d. A comparison with English hospitals is somewhat in Neiv Zealand’s favor.

In regard to charitable aid, Dr. Valintine says th at during the coming year lie hopes to devote a good deal of time to an investigation of the position, “and,” he adds, “I may yet bo able to convince these people of the Dominion that an indiscriminate doling out of charitable aid must in tlio long run have a bad .effect on the country at large. It is the duty of those responsible to call attention to this, and to try and convince the controlling authorities that no recipient of charitable aid should be better placed as regards the necessaries and comforts of life than the struggling working man who manages with difficulty to maintain himself and those dependent upon him, though ho lias to contribute directly and indirectly to the support of his jess self-reliant neighbor. Authorities 011 the subject agree that the only way to prevent abuse in tlie administration of outdoor relief is to throw the whole cost on tho local rates, and with that end in view the Government subsidy for outdoor relief should ho withdrawn. If this were done it might be advisable for the State to take over' the children now receiving aid from the Boards. It is only right and fair t 0 give children the best start in life possible. They are the recipients of charity through no fault of their own, and why should they start in life handicapped by contact with pauperism that is known to be infectious. The sooner they aro withdrawn from ’a bad environment the better citizens they, aro likely to become. The children’s portion of the expenditure on charitable aid for the past year was £18,394, and the cost of outdoor relief was £38.998, so that if the State took over tho car© of the children from the charitable aid hoards the storage of the Government subsidy of £19,499 on the £38,998 spent in" outdoor relief would mean a loss of subsidy to tho charitable aid boards of only 5 or 6 per cent., but in return of this the responsibility of tlie children would he taken over by a .‘Department whose special function is’ythe roaring and education of children amidst the best environments, and the strongest lever would have been used in the direction of persuading charitable aid boards to exercise a close supervision over the distribution of outdoor relief by making them spoiul their own money instead of that of other people ; a state of affairs that has tlie most surprising influence upon tho aspect in which most people view charitable aid. 1 would point out that this loss of revenue to the charitable aid boards by the loss of subsidy of outdoor relief of 5 or 6 per cent., should by an economical adminstration on the part of tho boards themselves bo more than recovered. 11l fact, it may safely be said that the boards themselves, as well as tho Dominion as a whole, would lie the gainers by the system I am endeavoring to establish. ■

Referring to the St. Helen’s hospitals, tho Inspector-General says there wore 662 patients admitted to tho four .St. Helen’s hospitals during the year, and 667 infants horn there. There were four maternal deaths, and four deaths of infants during the year. This is a satisfactory record, especially when it is remembered that cases have sometimes been sent to St. Helen’s when complications have set in, and special treatment has been considered necessary. In addition to these indoor eases, 160 outdoor cases were attended by nurses from the St. Helen’s hospitals. Of tho 160 infants six died ; there were no maternal deaths. It will he noticed flint of infants bom in the St. Helen’s Hospital, AVclliiigon, during the year, no less than 973 per cent, were nursed by their mothers. This should go to show that the cry raised as to tho inability of the modern mother to nurse her children is, at any r ite as far as Now Zealand is concerned, greatly exaggerated.