NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 174, 22 January 1914, Page 6

NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

SUMK ri.'KTHKR RKQCIKI'MKNTS. MEDICAL riVI'ICER'S ADVICE. At 1111- meeting of tlie Taranaki Hospital lli>aid vesierday, some time was occupied iii discussing with Dr. K. A. Walker (ica 1 superint Clldl'llt of till' New Plwnouth Hospital) several matti'i'.s of hospital adm nislration which tint superintendent recommended lo the urgent i-oii-iiiU'iation oi tin; Hoard. MASSAC! K NEEDED. The first matter touched on was the qiiistiou of devising sonic means whereby expert massage trcaunent eonld he a.t tli« service of the patients of the hospital who might require it. Til's treatment was, he pointed out, coming more than ever into, vogue, and had been undoubtedly responsible for g»"d results. Massige, except in very simple cases could not he applied except by experts, and for that reason he recommended that ii masseur and a masseuse, both of whom were resident in Neiv Plymouth, and had already done good work at the hosp.hil. should he ap- | preached with a view to making special arrangements for thorn to handle ail the eases at the hospital. After a short discussion, it was decided that the secretary should write to the secretaries of other hospitals as to the course adopted by their institutions with regard to massage treatment, and report to the next meeting of the Hoard. MUSKS' ACCOMMODATION'. J)r Walker proceeded Io deal with the necessity which lie said would arise in the future for increased accommodation for nurses. During the last few years the number of patients admit ted, and consequently ,tlie number of nurses engaged, had substantially increased. In lllld mere were li;i|) patients admitted and '>lo operations performed; in 11IUI the admissions numbered .jli') and the operations !S4H. During that period the average daily admiss'ons had increased from Sli to ■).'). There had been an increase of six nurse*, which was ■perhaps a fair one in proportion to the •increase of admissions and operations, but it had to be remembered that with the increased complications of modern surgery one nurse to-day could not do so much for one patient as she eonld some years ago, so that the nursing stall' would go on increasing. Tli* position was that the nurses' home, which at the time of its erection had been deemed adequate for some years to come, was now too small. Two nurses were at present sleeping on conches, lie suggested that temporary accommodation could be provided by glassing in ■one end of the upstairs verandah at the home, where nurses would he quite willing to sleep, but at the same time he pointed out that the question of increasing the nursing accommodation was one which the Hoard would have lo face in the near future. INCURABLE DISEASKS. The next question the superintendent touched ou was the nrntier of dealing with incurable cases. Kvcvy year, he marked, the number of incurable cases grew less, and the line between eases which could not be further treated at the Hospital, but which could derive benefit from residence at the Old, Peoples' llome, grew narrower. He suggested .that two wards be erected near [ the Old People's llome, to he called an "Old People's Hospital" ("incurable" , was an ugly word). He believed tliaT f the number of incurable cases would in future decrease still more. [ The provision of temporary nursing accommodation as advised 'by Dr. Walker will be proceeded with. The other matters mentioned will be held | over for consideration.