THE STATE SANATORIUM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 254, 20 October 1908, Page 4

THE STATE SANATORIUM.

THE RE-ADMISSION RULE. ONCE OU', ALWAYS OUT. At yesterday's meeting of the Hospital Board, All'. F. C. Bellringer, the chairman, reported that Mr. Farrar had become too unwell to continue his duties as manager at the Old People's Home, and ,vvas now a patient in the annexe. Application had been made for Ilia admission to tlie .State Sanatorium at Cambridge, but a reply had been received that no patient previously discharged was entitled lo re-admission. The .secretary read the following letter, received from Dr. Valintine, lnspector-Gen-era! of Hospitals:—

"With reference to Dr. Leathani's enquiry as to whether the Waikato Sanatorium could take Mr. A. E. Farrar, 1 have to inform you that the Chief Health Ollicer replies that Mi'. Farrar was discharged from the .Sanatorium on the 20Lh February, 1907, greatly improved. The medical superintendent regrets that lie cannot recommend his leadmission, as the rule against re-admis-sion has been pretty consistently carried out." Dr. Valintine attached a jjostsoipt: "I am particularly sorry to hear alxmt Mr. Favrar's illness, ad i regard him a* a particularly capable ollicer, an opinion, which 3 am well aware is shared by your Hoard. 1 ho;>e to hear of Ins speedy recovery." Continuing, the chairman said it was an extraordinary procedure. As members knew, Mr. Farrar had lefi the institution before in order to return 'o New Plymouth in order to d<!' r 1 i'w action, brought against hii;i <- } t ::am people on an alleged and charge of ill-using a man in tlie Home. Possibly had lie .stayed longer he might have been cured, but as it was he was only "greatly improved'' as the result l of his stay in the .Sanatorium. Mr l?e:l----ringer thought it somewhat ridiculous that the Department should name regulation* to exclude a. man who was admittedly a lit patient for the institution., merely because they had failed to effect a cure upon his iirst visit. Mr. Hill .suggested thai the .sanatoria of the colony were being run for tourists, not for*our people at all. It was decided to make strong representations to headquarters regarding this arbitrary regulation.

A discussion ensued as to whether a written protest would lie of any avail. Mr. j'r.uvn thought it was only wasting the secretary's time to bother about writing letters. 3'lr. Burgess: 1 don't know. Constant dripping is said to wear away the -stone. ■.Mr. lirmvn ~aid that his experience on local bodies had taught him that doverniiieiil departments could "stand a 10l of dripping.'' There was more satisfaction from a ten minutes' interview than from ten years of correspondence.