TARANAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

Taranaki Daily News, 18 May 1922, Page 8

TARANAKI HOSPITAL BOARD.

THE MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Taranaki Hospital Board was held yesterday. Present: Messrs? M. Fraser (chairman), H. R. Cattley, M. O’Brien, E. Gilmour, J. Andrews, S. Vickers, A. H. Halcombe, J. Young and J. Sutherland. An apology was received for the absence of Mr. G. Capper. HOSPITAL ECONOMY. Mr. C. E. Dunn, the board’s engineer, reported as follows: “After examining the plant I came to the conclusion that much might be done to bring,it into an economical working condition. I put injectors into operation on the boiler, giving a feed temperature of 190 degrees, yielding a profit of 12s 5d per day, or £223 Ils 3d per year. Five million gallons of water per year are used for the purpose of ejecting condensed water from the calorifier in. the Nurses’ Home. This has been altered, the town water being entirely dispensed with, and the condensed water returned to the boilers as feed at a temperature of 90 degrees. The saving effected per year will be £175. Previous to April 18 the operating theatre was heated by steam, but the pipes were so arranged that it took two hours to heat the room, but by altering the lay-out of the pipes it is possible to heat the room in 10 minutes. After enumerating other proposed improvements in the theatre-heating, the engineer said the cost would be more than covered by the sale of surplus pipes. In the boiler room three reducing valves, valued at £75, cobld be dispensed with. The operating ward plant is one complicated mass of valves, pipes and chambers, whose sole object is to distill water, whereas if a half-in r ch pipe were led from any calorifier sufficient distilled water could always be obtained after passing it through a filter. I recommend that this plant be disposed of to some small hospital, which has no steam boiler. I propose to do the ward-heating by steam. The advantages will be that I will be able to heat each ward in 10 minutes. I estimate the cost of new steam installation to be covered by the sale of the large pipes now in use. The board will have 68 radb ators for sale, and the water system articles, valued at £132, will be marketable. The cost in fuel will yield a saving of £175 per year. At present an electric stove is the principal means of cooking at the Nurses’ Home. I advise this stove being disposed of and steam cookers installed. I propose leading the laundry exhaust steam into a tank fitted with a suitable coil to allow all heat to be extracted from exhaust. By heating this water in the tank it would be possible to supply the main hospital with its hot water free of cost. The saving by nine hours per day free heating would be £234 17s 4d per year. The general outlay and the erection of the pipe-work throughout the hospital is a shocking job. Joints are leaking, and pipes are laid in inaccessible positions. Our system of electric light and power mains is in need of adjustment.”

chairman said the engineer had found great fault with the engineering facilities at the hospital. The Public Health engineer was at present at the hospital in consultation with their own engineer, and nothing would be done until his report was recevied. The board was fortunate in securing the services of an efficient engineer, who had already saved a large sum, and was going to save hundreds of pounds more. The time may not now be ripe to increase the engineer’s salary, but he hoped the board would not forget his value in the future. REPORTS. The medical superintendent (Dr. E. A. Walker) reported that during the month 108 patients had been admitted to the hospital, 87 were discharged, 4 died, and 88 remained in the institution at the end of the month. The highest number of patients for one day was 94, the daily average was 82, and the number of operations performed was 58. The matron of the Old People’s Horne reported that that one person had been admitted to the institution, and there had been one death during the month. Thirtynine were living in the home—33 males and G females. The farm manager reported that in April 16 cows had been milked, yielding 12,762 lbs. He was experiencing difficulty with keeping up the requisite milk supply. The Uruti district nurse reported that she had carried out one dressing, and paid three visits to patients. GENERAL. Mr. M. O’Brien reported on the state of the board’s property at Opunake in regard to fencing, grassing, etc., and made recommendations for required work.—lt was decided to adopt the report and have tenders called for the work. It was decided to thank the Health Department for their offer of motdf ambulances now being shipped to New ’Zealand, and to consider the acquiring of aq ambulance later. ‘Dr. Leatham recommended the., installation of a Potter-Bucky diaphragm for the X-ray plant.—Adopted. The levy on the hospital district for next year’s revenue was fixed at 2s 9d in the £lOO.