YET AGAIN

NZ Truth, Issue 1194, 18 October 1928, Page 6

YET AGAIN

Health Minister Kails In His Duty

Shall New Zealand continue to labor under the disability of an effete Health Department, whilst people are unscientifically .killed by medical practitioners and overworked nurses? The Health De- .. partment simply reeks of incompetence and bland, indifference. - THE incidence of deat^ m public *■■'■ hospitals, and ifche disgraceful manner m which the Government has so lightly come to regard the situation, goes to show that there are .a few politicians, m ■ this country, who. really are interested m anything outside the purview, of personal profit. . ..- - : -. . ''■'. Premier Cdates, Labor leader Holland and those others to whom the country is obliged to look for national guidance, are fond of/conceiving telling captions for their political mentis— are they capable of demanding a reconV : struct! ve upheaval m the department controlling those death-nouses known as public hospitals? • One-half, nay, more, of the hospital boards, include men and women on their personnel who preen themselves m; the mirror of daily-newspaper columns, smirk when they observe their own pert contributions, and congratulate themselves upon the clever' things- which some pufe-Engllsh-lovlrig journalist has made them appear to say. ■.• ■ -• ■ • ' '..:' '; " Beyond adopting a stance of quasi -importance, and opening their ill-controlled mouths at; . board meetings, the majority, of ! - hospital-board members are nriean-r ingless ciphers m the equation, of national worth. - ' .'■'.; ■'-.-'•• ?'■'.■ . . If they honestly enquired into the shortcomings of their medical and nursing staffs; if they performed,.instead of prattled, every citizen of New Zealand would enjoy a normal heartbeat when he entered the vestibule"' of a public hospital. . ",.:•.. Quite recently a young man "named Bernard Francis Spelman died' ln the "Palmerston North public hospital from the effects of a serious motor accident, accelerated by the administration ' ofa gas-oxygen anaesthetic. '. • ' During the operation^ said -the'' anaesthetist when ;he was crossexamined by the coroner, he became, anxious concerning i thfe patient's ' eon- ■ dition, but be had continued administering the anaesthetic until the bpera-r tion had been completed; .irrespective of his observations concerning- the patient's physical embarrassment. Although the coroner recorded hia" opinion that death had followed upon Spelman's being severely injured,, it was also contended that the anaesthetist had been guilty of an error, m'■ judgment when he continued hia administration m face of his anxiety concerning the patient's condition. .' .Coroner Graham said there was - no doubt but that the continued administration of the anaesthetic contributed m a mmo to Spelm'an's death. .' If there- be one honest man m the camp of political aspirations, then it behoves him to declare himself on the side of national ; welfare - r and protec- = tion, insisting- that a special commission be set lip to delve unflinching] y into the gross misdemeanors .,; so apparent m; the public hospital "systeai of this country. - „-'■