THE PUBLIC HOSPITAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4443, 24 April 1930, Page 4

THE PUBLIC HOSPITAL.

BOARD’S ANNUAL MEETING. REVIEW BY CHAIRMAN. GROWTH OF INSTITUTION. The animal meeting ot the Palmerston North Hospital Board was held on Thursday fast, Mr. J. K. Ilornhlow presiding. The chairman, in reviewing past activities, presented a comprehensive report. “The year commenced with the passing' of our late chairman (Sir James Wilson), thus severing a personal link which connected the past with the present,’’ said Mr. Ilornhlow. “In this connection will you permit me to take a brief retrospective glance covering the period of onr late chairman’s connection with the institution.

“For comparative and historic, purposes it may prove informative and interesting. In the pioneering days of this district., when the primeval hush was being cleared preparatory to cultivation and settlement, Ihe need for a. hospital was felt, consequent upon accident eases which had to be sent to the nearest hospital at Wanganui. One’s imagination can picture the suffering many underwent before receiving hospiial attention. The Government at that, time was opposed to any division of hospital districts.

“In .1.8!) 1, however, our late chairman, who then represented the Manawatu constituency in Parliament, was successful in getting all Hie local bodies in the district to agree (including the Wanganui Hospital Board) to a division of their district. The boundaries of our new district were defined by the Kiingitikei River in the north and [lie KitzhcrberT Road .Board area in the south.

"The enabling hill, sponsored by the late chairman, was passed in 181)1. The erection of a suitable building was then decided upon, and by special efforts and generous gifts a sum of £3700 was raided. The late Mr. G. M. Snelson was the first chairman and the late Mr. Walter Rutherfurd attended to the finance.

from: modest beginnings

“The Hospital, a modest wooden structure, was oj>ened by the Hon. W. Pember Reeves in November, 1803. The medical staff, consisted of Drs. Mclntyre and Porter, and the matron was Miss Dougherty, assisted by two nurses. The building consisted of four wards of comparatively small, dimentions. No. 1 was a. private ward, later used as an operating room. No. 2 was built with money left by the late Mr. WUsher (now called the Wilsher Wjard). It had five beds and was used as a women’s ward. No. 3 was a small room with two beds and No. 4 was the men’s ward with seventeen beds. The whole of : this original block is shortly to he demolished and lo be replaced by the administration block and chronic ward. The Jitsl patient, who was admitted on November 23, 1893, was ‘William Jackson, aged 23 years. The first operation was perfnrmed on William Thompson, who was the third patient and was the third patient and was subsequently employed by the Board. “The contributing bodies at. that time, and the amount, of levies paid by each, were as follow: —Muuawatu Road Board, £l3B 4/-;..Pal-merston North Borough Council, £131.; 10/-j Halcorabe Town Board, £3 1.2/-; Fusion Borough Ouiittcil, £29 8/0; Feilding Borough Council, £lO2 3/-; Fitzherberl Road Board, £7-1 -1/10; Kiwitea County Council, £157 10/-; Manawatu County Council, £1.95 12/-; Pohangina County Council, £72 19/-; Manchester Road Board, £207 13/10.

INCREASE IN NEEDS. “As Lhe town and population iuereused, Lius demand for further accommodation was claimatit, and in 1.914 or 1915 a comprehensive building .scheme and lay-out, to he completed in ten years, was mooted, in 1918 the Hornwhenuu County was merged into our district. This great accession to the population of our district made additional accommodation and ■ equipment imperative. "To-day, the hospital district extends from W'aikauue in the south to practically the borders of Huntcrvillo in the north, taking- in the following- counties: ilorowhenuu, Aianawatu, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Po* liangina, Uroua, and the boroughs of Otaki, Levin, Bbannon, Foxton and Palmerston .North; also the Podding district and the ltongotea Town Board area, with a total capital value of 191,990,909 aud a population of 59,990. In this district we are providing hospital accommodation for some 290 in the main building at the Hospital, fever ward accommodation, a twelve bed maternity home and on Old People’s Home which can accommodate about lifty inmates, and a cottage hospital at Otaki. “During the past year we have afforded treatment to 2899 inmates at the Hospital aud to 229 patients in the Maternity Home, while there Was an average of 48 inmates in the Old People’s Home. The Board is employing in all these institutions a total staff of 186, made up as follows : Administrative and management 8, medical staff (apart from honorary staff) 7, bacteriological 2, nursing and massage 109, male domestic 27, female domestic 33; total 186.

“The growth and development of the institutions have synchronised with the marvellous growth and prosperity of the district, with both of which our late chairman was intimately associated. The services

.if those who have gone before should be to ns a source of inspiration pi greater service in the cause of the sick and suffering.

AN IMPORTANT YEAR. “The year .just ended has been an important one in tin- history <, 1 the Hospital. During the year we have added the Wilson Memorial Block, at a cost of £1.8,000, .to provide accommodation for fitly extra beds. On each occasion when .1 have inspected I he Hospital during Ihe year J could not fail lo notice the great difficulties under which the stall have been working, owing to the congested slate of the main wards, and that the nursing work of the Hospital has been carried out so satisfactorily during the year retire ts the greatest credit on the matron and nursing stall, “I would also like to mention the work which has been done during the past year by onr honorary stall. It is only when one comes into close •coniact: with the -institution that one can realise the debt we owe lo those members of the medical profession who are giving their services gratuitously to the Hospital. The following statistics give some indication of tin- work at the Hospital during the year:—Average number of occupied beds 173, average number in isolation (diphtheria 4.75, scarlet fever 14, tuberculosis !)). individual days’ slay of patients 21.8. “Fqurtunalely, the number of patients in the fever wards for the past year was less I ban in the previous year, though Ihe numbers in the* main hospiial have exceeded those for the previous year.

A CREDIT BA LA NC I

“As regards expenditure, we have come through Ihe year with a credit balance of £l5B 5/(>. Owing to the numbers of patients in the surgical wards during the year, it has been necessary lo increase I lie nursing staff, so that (lie opening of the two new wards will neeessitale very little addition to this staff. Fortunately, if we have overspent on some of our maintenance items, the excess of reeeipls of patients’ fees over the estimate lias enabled us to come through with a. credit balahi-e. I cannot foresee any reduction in hospital expenditure generally, but l am pleased to see, on going into I'he figures, that our pa--lienls* revenue is increasing faster than mil' expenditure, and there will only be a very little increase in the maintenance levy this year, namely £27ti. I am somewhat concerned as regards the Otaki Hospital, which is going to cost the Board well over £2ooo' a year, and front an examination of the hospi tal records 1 find flint the great majority of I'he patients are tumble to contribute towards the cost of their support.” Reference was made by the ejifvirman In the work in the Maternity Home, 22ti patients having been admitted during the year. “The Old 'People's Home has been conducted satisfactorily,” he added, “and certain heavy renewals and renovations have been carried out. These items should be non-recur-ring, and the coming year’s expenditure will be less than the amount last year. The present number of inmates is 47, of whom seven are females.

“Speaking of Ihe social welfare work, 1 must mention (lie fact that, the board’s relieving officer, Mr. F. Aisher, has retired on superannuation. The hoard has had in Mr. Aisher a loyal and conscientious servant who has endeavoured to keep, expenditure at a minimum. A grefi! improvement has been effected during the year in the dispensation of relief by the introduction of a .-.huidard ration scale.

"As regards the maintenance of patients in institutions, oilier than those tinder hie control ot Ihe board, increasing numbers of patients are annually being sent to special institutions such as Haunter the Queen Mary Hospital, and Government sanatoria, and in most of these cases, especially (lie tubercular ones, very little can be recovered front the patients. However, it is part of our duty to offer these facilities to those unfortunate people requiring such t rent men!, afid I would again stress the necessity for the cnrefill scrutiny of such cases by (he medical staff, with a view to ensuring that only really suitable eases are sent for special I realnicnt.

CA. DPI ’A L IAIt’ROVEAI EX TS. “In general, the expenditure ou hospitals is .increasing, and the ilut v incumbent on hospital boards to provide facilities for the treatmeiit of disease is a difficult one to carry out, the greatest, care having to be taken to ensure that the expenditure is always in the right direct ion. The board has sanctioned in the capita,l estimates expenditure some big improvements in plant., including a new X-ra.y plant and tin additional ambulance. The board is forced in keep abreast of the limes in the- matter of X-ray and all other adjuncts to surgical treatment, and as regards ambulance service in these days of fast moving transport, with the resulting accidents, good ambulance services are essential.

“So far as the principal additions to the Hospital are concerned, the need for a chronic ward has long been felt. The housing of chronics at the Old People's Home and in the general wards of the Hospital is unfair to the patients themselves, and unduly encumbers the medical and surgical wards. The proposed administration block is long overdue. Our administration buildings and accommodation for the house surgeons at the present time are most unsatisfactory. It is proposed that in raising (ho loans for buidlings this year no portion of the money shall be uplifted until after the first half of

i lie linnneinl year; and Hint the main portion ol the loan will not | : e uplifted until Ihe linnneinl year, 1931-32. I think that the fact that we are opening two new wards this veaf with only a very small increase in onr levy should be quite r at isfaelory to our ratepayers.'’

Concluding, the ehairmnn tbaiikcd I lie members ot the board for their close co-operation, expressed bis npprceialioii of the work.of the ma na gi ng-sec ret ary and siall, and extended bis congratulations to the medical superintendent, matron, nurses, and all associated with Ihe institution on a successful year’s work. Flo fell that the ratepayers were receiving’ good value for their money, and only bv special effort would they come through the new veav satisfactorily from a financial point of view.