PATETONGA NURSE.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXIX, Issue 5242, 22 February 1928, Page 3

PATETONGA NURSE.

SETTLERS DESIRE AI’IHIINTMENT, HOSPITAL BOARD TO ACT. ' Following on the resignation of the Patetonga district nurse, Miss McNamara, who has lef£ to take up a position nearer, her people, -in the Hawke’s Bay. district, the chairman of the Thames Hospital Board '(Mr W* visited.Patetonga on Monday and conferred with the Medical. Association.' •Members of the executive of the association, Messrs J. Wilkins, A. . Whiteman, D. Pike, A. Christie, anti' Mesdames Thompson Pollen, Christie, Reid, and Cotton, expressed the opin- - ion of the district that another nurse should be appointed as speedily as possible. 7 In announcing that he .would recommend the H°spital Board to make an appointment Mr Hale pointed opt that it was probable a great difficulty would! be experienced in securing a suitable woman who had the necesr sary qualifications. It was therefore desirable not to attempt to rush matters, but the board would do its utmost, and it was hoped that there would be a district nurse in Patetonga by the beginning of May. Mr Wilkins urged that the board, should move as, quickly as possible, and pointed 'Out that there were between 500 and 600 people in the district, and that as soon as the weather broke the roads would become almost bimpassable and 'doctors would not at“tempt to visit the place. There was not even anyone in the district with a sound knowledge of first-aid.

Mr Hale pointed out that there was ho chance whatever of getting a tern**

porary nurse. Mr Whitem.an stated . that the nurse’s monthly report to. the board did not give a fair indication of . the amount of work she had been doing. Mr Hale replied that this point was realised, anil the board took m'Pre notice of the amount of fees collected. The charge of 2s 6d a visit was very low having been adopted from a scale drawn up over 20 years ago. For macases he wap. sure this charge pvas the lowest in the Dominion. Mrs Thompson expressed; the opinion that a charge should'be made for advice given by the nurse over the telephone. In. winter the volume of business done by the telephone, was great. • Many settlers thought that the ■annual voluntary contribution of 10s towards the nurse’s salary was sufficient for them to pay, and many others who declined to contribute had no compunction about calling on the nurse even for maternity cases. Mr Hale pointed out that the Hospital Board was compelled to collect from those who were in a position to pay: ’The money was recovered through the courts when other means failed. The board realised! that by having a nurse in Patetonga it was • leaving itself open to be called upon ,to station nurses, in* other districts. The expenditure of the board was reby the Government arid it was not until the settlers had! approached a Minister of the Crown that the contributions towards the nurse’s salary by the people of the Patetonga district were subsidised* The board did not have a large, wealthy rating district, as was generally imagined, for actually the district. .was too small to adequately maintain the main institution.