HOSPITAL BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LV, Issue 81, 22 August 1912, Page 6

HOSPITAL BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The monthly meeting of the Hospital Board was held yesterday morning. Members present were the chairman (Mr. F. C. J. Bellringer) and Messrs W. Cutfield. M. .T. Mcßeynolds, D. "MiAllum, .). R. Hill, ,1. Brown, A. 11. Halcombe, !). 11. McDonald and G. V. Tate. URUTI NURSING SCHEME. Reporting on the Uruti district nursing scheme, Mr. A. H. Halcombe made an appeal on -behalf of the settlers for financial assistance from the Board. He did not see how the settlers could keep up the scheme unless the Board assisted it in some way. It was a very difficult i district in which to get all the settlers to subscribe to the fund. They were paying a hospital rate to the County Council, and yet had to put their hands in their pockets in order to pay the salary of the district nurse. It had to / be remembered that the work of the I nurse relieved the hospital of a number of patients. It was very hard on those settlers who paid their dues to have to bear the whole expense. They could not force the defaulting settlers Ito pay. Mr. Halcombe accordingly gave C notice of motion that the Board 'should | make a grant of £25 to the fund. ; CONGESTED HOSPITAL ACCOMMODATION, j The urgency of increased hospital ac- { commodation in the shape of the proj jected new hospital buildings was again I brought under the notice of the Board by Dr. Walker in the course of his monthly report. As was usual at this time of th'e year, the Hospital was, he stated, very busy. The annexe and isolation block were botli open, and there had been much surgical work during the month. The women's ward lia'd "been overtaxed, and likewise the accommodation for children. The need for furI tlier provision in the departments was I urgent.

The chairman remarked that the hospital was undoubtedly very overcrowded. The carrying on of 'the women's ward, where 22 women were crowded into a compartment having provision for only l(i women, was a source of <rreat concent, . 1 " DUPLICITY OF MAINTENANCE.

Regarding a case in point the chairman remarked that it had become quite apparent that the present method of dealing with cases of children committed to homes by the Education Department altogether wrong. Duplicity of maintenance would never bo satjsfac-, •tory, and ft was a question if it would' not be in the interest of all that the control should either be given to the Education Department, they to be liable for all payments from its'funds, or to the Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards to make their own arrangements. Members concurred in these remarks, and it was decided: "That the Minister's attention be directed to the unsatisfactory method of dealing with and eontrolling these cases, and the advisability of doing away with dual control of Education and Hospital Boards by making one or other of such boards wholly responsible for such eases."

REDUCTION 7 OF NUMBER OF BOARDS The receipt of a resolution from the Otago Hospital Board gave rise to a discussion in which members expressed the opinion that there wore far too many hospital boards in the Dominion. The Otago body recommended that the principle of reciprocal agreement being entered into with other hospital and charitable and other hoards be approved, and that the boards enter into an agreement not to charge each other for indigent aospital patients from each other's dis--11 i ct>, except in the cases of patients sent there by the boards themselves, but each hoard will render any other board assistance to collect accounts from relatives, if possible.

According to the chairman (Mr F. U. J. Bellringer), while such a proposal might be desirable for Dunedin and other cities, it would not he expedient for the Taranaki Board. What he would suggest, however, was that the number of hospital boards he reduced. One board in place of tiiree was all that Taranaki required. Ever since his connection with hospital matters he ihad lealiscd that a great deal of overlapping and a considerable amount of expense could be saved in this way. He hoped to live to see the day when there would be only one board in Taranaki, and a much reduced number for the rest of the Dominion. This would be much more satisfactory to the people who were seeking hosiptal treatment. The people were tired of these small hospital districts.

After further discussion, the Board resolved that, in its opinion, the number of hospital boards should be considerably reduced. It was decided not to support the Otago resolution. GENERAL. Replying to the request of the Board, the secretary of the fias Company regietted that owing to the large increase in the cost of producing gas the directors were unable to reduce the price to the Board at the present time. The chairman reported on his visit to Wellington in company with Dr. Walker. A.s the result of an interview with the authorities, a number of alterations had been made in the plans of the new hospital. including the erasing of the north end of the children's ward in glass. Representations had been made to the Minister of Public Tleallli regarding the with-holding of the subsidy from the Board, and in consequence he (Mr. Bellringer) was given the assurance that as the point in dispute was purelv a technical issue it should not debar pavilion t being made. The chairman and Dr. Walker also inquired into other matters of administration, and were heartily thanked by the Board for their services.

The chairman reported that as the resuit of representations made to ]>. Valintine. that officer had promised to liold (he examination of nurses in Taranaki hospitals at New Plymouth in December. Hitherto the nurses have had to journey to "Wellington at their own expense. medical sn?F.Ri xtexdents FiKI'ORT. The ijieilh-ni superintendent (Dr. E. A. Walker. M.D.I reported that dnrinpt -Tillv "!l patients admitted to the hospital, and '2B discharged. There had been five deaths, leaving 38 patients re-

maining in the institution. Thirty-one) operations were performed. I . OLD PEOPLE'S HOME. > The matron of tlie 01(1 People's Home*) (Mrs-. A. Bayly) reported that every- j ilung hail been working very satisfacduring tlie month ended July 21. ! l:!> discipline had been excellent, with i » ' exception of one male inmate, whose ■:'se was reported to the chairman and <i'cretarv. There had been two admissions and three deaths at the institution, leaving in the home twenty-three males and seven females. _ INSPECTOR'S REPORT. f Tn Lis monthly report, the Inspector Plr. A. IT, Kendall) stated that he had visited Inglewood, Waitara, Rahotu, i Opunake. Awatuna, Okato and other places. During the month six cases of scarlet fever, one ease of diphtheria, and one case of phthisis were notified. He. had carefully and promptly disinfected ; after two cases of phthisis and six cases ' of scarlet fever, four of the latter being near Opunake, and two cases at Mew Plymouth. The month had been notable for a small outbreak of scarlet fever in and near to New Plymouth, four cases having been notified in that area. lie had taken all steps possible to immediately visit anil disinfect or otherwise deal with the eases as they occurred. He also visited and made inquiries at the schools which were in any connected with the cases of scarlet fever in and near Xew Plymouth. HOW SCHOOL CHILDREN DRINK. A report on the drinking arrangements for the children attending the local schools was also submitted by the Inspector. In it he stated that at the S'outh Road School he found only one drinking place for the children. This was situated iji the school yard and consists of an inverted ordinary water tap, which was fixed over a large funnelshaped receiver for the waste water, which was then carried to a trapped drain. This gave an upward jet of J water of one or two inches' in height, at which the children drank without their lips coming in contact with either water-tap or drinking vessel, and though a somewhat crude imitation of the best practice in vogue at public schools in Europe and America, was very j much superior to the old enamelled drinking mug. At the Fitzroy school j the children drank direct from water { taps in the ordinary position fixed outside the school building. At this sc.hool the master had sent Home for one of the latest pattern school drinking fountains, and was expecting its arrival in about six weeks' time. At the Central and Courtenay street schools the children did not use mugs, but drank from the water taps in the lavatories, wthich were fixed in the usual position over the wash basins. At the Convent school the children drank from an ordinary enamelled mug attached to the wash basins. At all schools the water supply was supplied from the New Plymouth borough mains. Commenting on the report, the chairman stated that with the approach of si mmer it was evident that the drinkirg arrangements at all the schools were not satisfactory. At the Central and Courtenay street schools the modus operandi was such that it might easily prove a most fruitful source of spreading disease. The school authorities should be asked to remedy matters. It was decided to forward a copy of I the report to the committees of the I schools in question. |