GREY HOSPITAL

Hokitika Guardian, 30 August 1930, Page 7

GREY HOSPITAL

CHAIRMAN’S REPLY. TO PUBLIC HEALTH REPORT. At tlie meeting of the Grey Hospital Board on Thursday evening, the Chairman, Mr J_.W. Hannan, took the opportunity to refer to the report of Director R. A. Shore, of the Division of Hospitals, containing adverse comment upon the Board in relation to the question of economy in administration. Mr Hannan stated that he would like to make reference to the recent correspondence over the Hospital, and the report in question, particularly concerning the .suggestion therein regarding the administration of the surgery, and the matter of the expenses incurred therein. This matter came before the Board, but he had not then considered that he would have been justified in thus referring to it, regarding it as being confidential. Since then, however, there had been a precis made erf the reports, and this precis, he understood, had by the Mayor, Mr J. W. Greenslade, been handed to the newspapers for publication. The main suggestion in the report was that relative to the dismissal of an officer of the Board, and it meant that this officer mu9t be cither the Medical Superintendent or the Secretary, The Medical Superintendent, .said Mr Hannan, had asked him publicly to state in tfairness tq the Secretary, that it was he (the Medioal Superintedent) who, according tq the report, should have been dismissed. The expense incurred under surgery expenditure on . drugs and alcoholic stimulants was the amount to which the report particularly referred. At the end of the year ending March 31st, 1930, when the question of surgery expenses was brought up, it was found it was still on the high side, and he (Mr Hannan) made it his business to call on the Health Department! at Wellington, pointing out that the Board were desirous that an officer be sent down to investigate and see if they could effect any economy. The investigation was made and there was no suggestion contained in the report by way of effecting a remedy. All that could be noted was that strong representations were made to Dr Moore, as to expenses which haa been shown for several years before. Animus was shown towards him. The report charged Dr Moore with maladministration in surgery stocking. The Board then went into the matter, and found that there had been no undue use of drugs. It was quite common with other hospitals. The trouble bad been in buying, and they had been overstocked. No doubt, serious errors had been made in that direction. The report then asked for the sacking of I)r. Moore, The Board went into the matter. They found that the Doctor had far more work to do than he should have. After he had done his duties, he had little or no,time to give con-, afderntkm to buying and stocktaking, and, as a result, they became overstocked. With regard to the estimates of the current year, the overstocking d'd not make a difference of £IOO, They were considerably overstocked, and the estimates for the present year have been reduced accordingly, From a monetary point of view, therefore the Board did not suffer loss. With regard to the question of the dismissal of the Doctor, the Board considered that this was not warranted. A fur* tlier letter came asking the Board to carry out instructions, and a reply was then sent that the considered opinion of all of the members of the Board was that Dr Moore should here retained. Dr. Moore was then relieved of the liability of procuring the drugs etc., which responsibility was transferred to the stores departments It was then suggested by someone to Director Shore to have the matter published, which was done, and the Directors had had Grey Hospital specially referred to in the report of the Health Department to Parliament. Two matters, /however, he did not refer to. Me (Mr Hannan) would refer to these. The Health Department were in a position to find out if anything were wrong. They had an expert man to investigate and he never pointed it out until asked to do so by this Board.