THE HOSPITAL CRISIS.

Taranaki Daily News, 16 August 1917, Page 4

THE HOSPITAL CRISIS.

The resignation of t.ho hospital medical Ftaff was only to be expected, after what had transpired during the past few I weeks. A perusal of the correspondence and the report of the discussion elsewhere shows the board to be entirely in (he wrong, and that the crisis Which has come about is the inevitable result of the board's pettifogging and irritating' policy,; At yesterday's meeting it real-j ited, for tha fist Itms (bit]

even easy-going, long-suffering surgeons will turn anil assfcrt tlieir independence. The board /tried by various means, not particularly complimentary to tlieir understanding or judgment, to wriggle out of the position into which they had landed the hospital. But the incident which brought the trouble to a head in only a symptom of the unfortunate feeling existing between the board and its executive officers, and whilst this exists good work cannot bo done, For the board to acknowledge its mistake

and ask for pardon certainly shows contrition on the part of members, but it also proves that the board, as it is at present constituted, is hopelessly incapable of doing justice to the work of !he hospital, and entirely lacking in that sympathetic co-operation with the professional staff that makes so much for sraoothand efficient running. The board has consistently refused to discharge its

duty in respect to providing adequately for infectious diseases cases, with the result that to-day several of the nurses are down with disease, whilst the congestion is so great that many of the cases have to be treated in the main hospital. This is a shocking state of

affairs, and the board cannot excuse itself. Indeed, we are not sure that the members of the board could not be' held responsible for the nurses contracting, the disease, and therefore liable for any damage, for the board repeatedly disregarded the advice and pressing representations of the medical staff for reforms in the isolation buildings, which twelve months ago were described by the doctor as a "scandal and abomination.''' Every month it lias played with the question of providing accommodation for the nurses, putting olf on one pretext or another the building of a suitable place, though it has a considerable sun» of money in hand for the purpose. We are sure no public hospital nurses in New Zealand have to endure such conditions as the nurses at the New Plymouth hospital, and the very fact that the devoted women raised their voices in protest over a year ago ought to have shown a board sensible of its obligations tho urgency of the matter. But no; the board has been too occupied with the small twopenny-halfpenny things that don't matter, and with consulting its own dignity to sparo any time for tho :hings that do matter. The board had its opportunity yesterday. It should have resigned in a body. It Ims lost the confidence of the professional staff by the amazing way in whiijh it has carried on the affairs of the hospital, and it has now lost the confidence of the public. Let us say that there are some able and useful members on the board who are capable of doing good service, bu» there 3hould be a clean sweep, so that the public can appoint a new board, , more in touch with the needs of the hospital, with the necessity for sympaI thetic co-operation with the staff and with public opinion. The hospital cannot afford to lose its doctors, at this lime especially, but it can afford to lose the board as it is constituted at present.