WAIKANAE.

Otaki Mail, 7 August 1922, Page 2

WAIKANAE.

■ « | DISTRICT NURSE. * The meeting called last Friday evening to consider district nurse martyrs j was only sparsely attended by the public. Mr Rodgers occupied the chair, j and gave a brief outline of the committee's work since being appointed) lit tlie course of his remarks he expressed regret that a larger attendance of ! the public was not present. The com-I inittee’s work was at an ond until it or another committee received the residents’ authority to proceed further. jand no committee could do justice to the public unless it had the public opitt I ion to guide it. It was finally resolved’ ihat the residents be asked to come to | g'other in a month’s time, the date of ! sue It meeting to be advertised in the ’’Otaki Mail.” It was also decided that in the event of failure of a representative meeting of residents on that date, the committee would take steps to realise on what assets there are and , distribute the proceeds as it thinks lit. I The following is the report on rtte Committee's operations since it took office nearly three years ago: —- | “Waikanue District Nurse Commit- 1 | j tee. —20th August, 1922—Your Comi mittee bog.- to submit herewith the report of its operations since it took office on September 25th, 1919. On tak- | ing office by the Commit fee an application had already been made to the 1 Palmerston North Hospital Board that * a district nurse be appointed to work - the districts of 'Waikauae and Kikiorangi. Your committee was subse- , quently advised by the Bottl'd that they 1 Mould not move in the matter until the J residents’ guarantee of £75 was j paid over. Your committee considered .this tin unreasonable request. Sever--1 al letters passed between the cummiti tee and the Hospital Board, and sever- ■ a] weeks went by before the Hoard fin- ! ally consented to advertise for a dis- . triet nurse at a salary of £l5O per year. I However, there were no applications at this figure, so by dogged determination your committee succeeded in causing the Halniorston Board to call fresh ap plications increasing the salary to £bS‘.i 1 per year, which is the amount tin-, Wellington Board’s nurse at i’arapataiintu - started ou. * None of the applioa! ions ’ received came from any fully qualified t ! nurse. One nurse, Sister Donovan, tie j sired the position but would have to , undergo further training to gain her maternity certificate. This she agreed to do if the Board promised her the position ou the completion of hor training. As it appeared hopeless to secure a fully trained nurse at once your committee consented to await the- completion id Sister Donovan’s 1 raining, and an arrangement v. as made with the Board that Sister Donovan be appointed as soon as she qualified. Severn) months had by this time pes-cd. and ' it. was six months later !*• ■ t"*■ r*■ .’Sister Donovan was able to enter upon, lier ' k midwifery training in December. 19 2■ Sister Donovan was successful, and in 1 Juno, 11)21, had gained hor ••'■rtihroV 1 . ' Ou August bid following your commitri*.• paid over to the Board the £75 guarantee with the request that ‘-ise Donovan be appointed forthwith. Tile Board made the appointment i.m is> " September, 1921. Put instead of paying ' :i 'alary of £leo as la.-tly tolvertisi-J, the rurse only rerojved sa'nrv at ; rate of £l5O per year. Lorn .-pondenee * pa.-s-d for th, next two month, when at last the Board informed tin 1 o ■ *e! soraiiiittee that if tit-- re-ddents of the ' district increased their eo.Vnbutioi. ** 1 £IOO per vest th“ Board would pay salary of £lS'.> per year, and Ls per year rent of coc.-ul: ing room, u/.d would ]irovide drugs, dre -tag-, etc., up ' e ' value of £l2 per ’-ear, but would so ’ cept no further re'consihility. I* will 1 tje seen tit once front this that the ' Board was not prepared to expend ' more than the amount equalled by the residents’ snarei. ‘ a. ■ and Go--cM. ne a; subsidy of 24 it: the pound thereon. Your committee did all in power to . persuade the Board to be !e ha:.-.:; :; .its attitude towards us. but ail appeal*: fell upon deaf ears. In November last your committee sent a deputation to interview Dr. Frengley, Director of Pub--1 I lie Health, and in- promised he v.ould see if the Board could be a i:ttl>- more sympathetic. Your committee alto attended a meeting of the Board in December key. but i:: spit* of all’appeals and entreaties the Board absolutely refused to do any more than as already ’ indicated, end failing the contribution rrom the district being increased to £IOO Es: requested, the Board further stated that the nurse’s engagement - would be terminated when the funds became exhausted. The nurse’s salary was accordingly increased to £l5O per year as; from the dote of her appointment, but nothing extra was paid for room rent. Is 'was rrr December, three months after the nurse was appointed, ■ and only after repeated requests from both the committee rued the nurse for ; equipment, before any supply w;, -■ forwarded by the Board, and ever: then the supply wa = a most mod«st ore. ' Sister Donovan resigned her position a* district nur:-« on Hay 51st. and it | was not until after this did the Board ■ pay over the amount owing for room rent, which amount paid to the !o----i cal committee together with balance of . - j a s held by the Board totalling .- o:;,--£2? odd. Sister Donovan wax subse- ’ quently paid the amotrn* due to her as room rent ou: of the above £25. Tour 1 committee ha- isited the Board to state ' whether another appointment of a nurso wili be made, but so far the- enquiry . has received no official recognition. Your committee has learned, however. ' from Mr G. A. Monk that the Board re- • | fuses to consider the proposition tnatil 1 the residents contribution is increased ’ to £lO9. Vocr committee now fee! I that it hat exhausted every means et | their disposal to proceed further and regrets it; effort; have not met with more ;ueeese. Tour committee now resign. from office in order to give a clear ; field for any operation; you may contemplate for the future. The commit- . tee wishes to express its adisiiation £ah ;

rirtuiks to Sitter Donovan for the manmu’ in which she stuck to her job and carried out her duties lit the face of r much opposition and discouragement from the Palmerston Hospital Board. The only equipment available during j the early part of Sister Donovan’s engagement. was her own personal proper- | ty, added to now and then with what could be purchased with the fees col- ' leeted. Your committee also wishes to piacx on record the assistance rendered I by the untiring efforts of ITr G. A. I Monk, a member of the Palmerston Bant'd, and who has at aK times been ready to grasp any opportunity offering to bring about a more sympathetic attitude on the part of the Board, and j : ne thanks of the residents are due to ’him for the time and thought he has [devoted to this matter. During the ! few months in which the district mir.-j was engaged many cases of sickw.v have been treated, and nuurv case; which otherwise weald have had to g u ’o ho-pital, have been treated at 1: „ and patients thereby saved considerable , expense. ’ ’