Laundry Copper

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 178, 14 August 1937, Page 6

Laundry Copper

PEROV .7

RnV.wstia

Siiy— M.y atteation has been drawn to the publication in the Gisborne Times ot a discussion, which took place at a meeting of the Wairoa Hos; . pital Board on tlre 10th. instant, concerning the sterilisation of bed pans in the laundry copper. Whilst the board did imt resolve to go into com- > ; mittee to ch-cuss this matter, 1 askec the Press not to report niy remarks; J and as I find that such wero entirelj unwarranted I now wish to oorreci ! •them. • Aiy remarks were ma ue only a few i minutes after I knoiv for the first ) timo. where the bed pans were boiled. i and I had no time -to find out any- : thing further before the meeting took i place. 1 have since learnt that. the use a. of the laundry copper for boiling bed pans is a comiuon procedure in smal] hospitals that are not equipped with costly sterilisers for this special pur- : pose. 5 Actually. there was nothing whatt ever to concern me at all. as the bed , pans qre cleaned, then soaked in dis-

infectant befbre being conveyed to the laundry, all proper precautions beingl taken against possible infection in transit. This practice has been carried out for years to the knowledge and approval of the Department of Health, and 1 regret very much that I have implied that any blame is attachable to eitber tbe medioal superintendent or matron. Of course, it is necessary tbat bed pans should be sterilised by, boiling, and there is no more objeetion to this procedure than to boiling soiled lineiv in the same coppei. I would also like to take this opportunity, Mr Editor, to compliment your representative in rofraining from publishing tl^e discussion, at my p»(Ynftuf. Ynurs of r.

Chairman, Wairoa ITospital Board, Wairoa, Aug. 12, 1937. ?