HOSPITAL ENQUIRY.

Hokitika Guardian, 8 March 1924, Page 1

HOSPITAL ENQUIRY.

COMMISSION CLOSED. AUCKLAND. March 0. A*, the hospital inquiry counsel tor the various interests involved addressed tile Commission on behalf of the doctors. Mr Dulhic saiil lie wished to .-ay a word about Dr. Hughes. That officer had been .overworked in the most marked manner. The doctors wished it to he known that they had every confidence in him and always found bin attentive to his duties as Public Health Officer. Mr Finlay, for Nurse Gibbons, subunite:! that doctors and nurses had two distinct spheres ami shines ol responsibilities. Jle contended that Nurse Gibbons had done everything possible am! the hospital w-Ks well conducted. Mi .lohnstone, lor the petit ioneis. said that in the absence of some, satis h.etoi y evidemo of self-infcei ion ii was incumbent on them to assume that

the inleet ion came about Iron, contact it the usual way. and in that , onil; el Mftuoitl ,'*<! the ijfaea'e w:e. pre rentable. Dealing with the Health lkpattmenl counsel said lie could not condemn its methods more severely than did Dr. Makgill. who had not only damned it with faint praise, but erit.i< ixcl its methods in connection with private hospital inspection in no imc, riaiii terms. The evidence clearly showed that tlu* whole of the public hcalili service had been .starved by the Government. Counsel entirely a, greed with all that had been said icgarding pr. Hughes. With regard to noiilie.ilion Mr~ Johnstone urged that there was loom lor improvement and drew aiieiition to the absence of proper proi‘i ion for tile isolation ol suspicious eases notified. Mr Richmond for the Department, sMri there was a taltacious idea, abroad liiat tile jU'Oper way 1.0 deiii with ,-eptifjsf min was to dost; Hospital over a long period or Tiuni it down. T,;< comnisision had expert opinion ti.af, pi ol or disinfection was quite sufficient. I'uhlic opinion in some quartets had formulated sevens een.sure ol the Depart mem- lor not closing Kelvin before ii did. The Auckland branch had no power to close the place in the sense o! complete evacuation. That vas a matter for the Minister. There was no proof that because the Department did not close the place as early as some I eoplc suggested any deaths had been cniised. There was no reason for Dr. Hughes intcifering helorc lie iiHuT.y tlic". The Department had to reali-e t'>;ii ].eople like Nurse Gibbons h d rot unlimited capital. I nless the Gmei’.iment was jnejared to equip additioual hospital w.’.rds lor maternity cases the Dep.ai tment must I.e tm t: ul ii: the way it treated private maternity homes. Among the reforms the Department would welcome would he impraven.i nt in le.ap.l Hi uni ili-at ion. Counsel gave detail- of a .scheme for making the scope of notification wider to ] revolt the p,i—ibility ol ..in ease e- aping, by including leportiug <u eases ever a certain temporal me. Airs Rhodes, alter Mr .lolnisione's address. said that she had never eomI lain,',l ~; actual e,,-gleet oi' he; daughter Mrs Emily Xieol. calksl at !:er own request. 1 eiuted out that mam ol the 1 <n( ommissiou’s reeomimoulaiioi, nad been given elfeet to. The ( iiairman assured her that the recommendations would he earei'uliy eensidered. The Commission lias closed.