HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2377, 15 November 1881, Page 4

HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The ordinary meeting of the above Board was held at 4 p.m. yesterday. Present—Mr H. 'Thomson (chairman), his Worship the Mayor of Ohristchurch, his Worship the Mayor of Sydenham, Messrs E. C. J.Stevenß, J. G. Hawkes. The report of the Hospital oommittee was read as follows : Tho Hospital committee has the honor to report that during tho fortnight ending 12th Nov. 3(5 patients were admitted into the Hospital and 21 discharged, leaving 71 patients in the institution. Ituring thesamo period 4 deaths occurrod. For the corresponding period of _ last year there were 55 patients in the Hospital. The committee has carefully considered the question submitted to it re appointment of matron, and recommends that applications be invited for a matron capable of carrying out the attached amended rules and regulations. The committee recommends that the salary Bhould be at the rate of per annum. Tho amended duties of matron, as recommended by the committee, were considered. The Board had before it the rules of the Dunodin Hospital with regard to the housekeeper and head nurßß. After some disousBi'on it was resolved —"That the secretary forward a telegram to the Government, asking whother they would approve of an increase in salary for the matron of the Hospital, provided a suitable person could be found." A letter was read from the house surgeon with regard to the report of the Hospital oommittee read at last meeting as follows : Christohurcb, November 14th, 1881. Sir, —In an account of the meeting of the Board which appeared in the papers of the 3rd inst., I saw. with surprise, that the committee's report contained tho following remarks upon the house surgeon :—'' The committee have had their attention called to certain irregularities of the house surgeon in bis attendance upon the wards, the correspondence on the subject is attached. The committee recommend that he receive three months' notice, according to the terms of bis agreement, and that he bo instructed to attend carefully to the wards at least twice_ a day, and that he refrain entirely from practice out3ide the Hospital." I beg to state that I consider the expression " certain irregularities " very ambiguous. I shall be obliged if the Board will state definitely what i 3 meant. In justice to me, the correspondence which I had with tho committee should have been published, for I deny most emphatically having ever neglected my duties at the Hospital, or in_ any way infringed the regulations _ applicable to the house surgeon. At no time, since the foundation, has the hospital been more efficient or the patients better cared for and attended to than during tho past year. By the resolution of the Board—" That having considered the report of the Hospital committee and the letter of the house surgeon of November 2nd, tendering his resignation, the Board accopts his offer to resign, and will re'ieve him of his dnties as soon as a duly qualified surgeon can be obtained "—it appears a 3 if the Board had adopted the report of the committee, at least it is so understood by many. I think, in fairness to me, it should have been stated that the Board did not adopt the report of the committee, nor in any particular give effect to its recommendations. I beg also to take exemption to the expression "the Board accepts his offer to resign," as I did not offer to resign, but resigned unconditionally, and my resignation was in no _ way connected with the proceedings of the committee. Up to October 22nd, when I received thememo. of the committee, no complaint of any kind had ever been made to me. On the contrary, patießts on leaving the hospital have always gratefully acknowledged my attention to them, and many have since written, expressing their satisfaction with the treatment they received. I have aho received from members of committee frequent assurances that everything connected with the care and treatment of the patients was completely satisfactory. Having received such frequent expressions of approval of my manner of conducting the hospital work, I was extremely surprised and astonished at the receipt of the memo, of October 22ad, and at the subsequent proceedings of the committee. The committee which drew up this exceedingly damaging report presented to you at the last meeting of the Board consisted of two members; only one of them had not attended any committee meetings during the year, nor has he attended one since, and only three or four meetings of the Board. He cannot, therefore, be very well acquainted with the work of the Hospital. Further, the committee, in their correspondence, promised to afford me an interview on the receipt of my written reply to their memorandum. This promise they did not fulfil. I cortainly was called in by the committee, but no reference was made to the matter; instead of this, I received seme instructions from Dr. Turnbull, who was in the chair, in a dictatorial and offensive manner. I also beg to enclose a letter for the perusal of the Board. It was presented to me by the patients on their hearing the proceedings of the committee. I now leave tho matter in the hands of the Board, trusting that they will give it proper consideration. I am confident that if they will enquire of the visiting staff, of the nurses and attendants in the institution, or of any of the patients that are now in the Hospital, or have been at any time during tho period I havo been House Surgeon, no reasonable charge of neglect can be preferred against me. I am, &c, A. F. J. Meikle, A.M., M.D., &c, House Surgeon. Mr Stevens moved—" That the letter of the house surgeon be remitted to the hospital committee for any remarks they may wish to make on it." The Mayor of Sydenham seconded the motion, whioh was agreed to. — Mr Hawkes said he desired to say this, that as he had visited the wards every Sunday for months past, !he had never heard a word of complaint from any of the patients as regarded Dr. Meikle. On the contrary, every one had spoken in the highest possible terms of the treatment and kindness of Dr. Meikle, who had in every way endeavored to discharge his duty to the utmost, and in the kindliest manner.

A letter was read from the Kaikoura County Council respecting the maintenance of Mrs Gay, a patient in the hospital. The secretary was requested to make the necessary inquiries. A report was read from the Police Department with reference to the finding of an infant child in the poroh of the Boman Catholie church on Novomber 4th. The secretary was directed to eommunicate with the superintendent of police as to the sending of the infant to Burnham.

The report of the Hospital Cottage at Akaroa was read, showing that at present there was only one inmate of the Cottage. The letter of the Orphanage was also read, in whioh ii was stated that one child had been withdrawn during the period. The number of inmates of the Ashburton Home was stated as being thirty-seven. The Board then adjourned.