South Taranaki News

Taranaki Daily News, 23 November 1926, Page 2

South Taranaki News

(From Our Own Reporter.)

Telephone No. 596.

P.O. Box 133.

SUPERVISION OF HOSPITAL POLICY TO BE ADOPTED. NEW DOCTOR MEETS BOARD. The newly-appointed medical superintendent of the Hawera Hospital, Dr. J. L. Frazer, attended the special meeting of the board yesterday and was introduced to members of the board. The ehairman, Mr. A. L. Campbell, welcomed the doctor to Hawera and congratulated him on gaining the position. Mr. Campbell explained that the hospital would be opened either in December or January. Dr. Frazer thanked the board for the honour done him in appointing him to the position and hoped to serve the board and the public to the best of his ability. He said he was very pleased to come to Hawera, and expressed himself as very much interested in the new hospital. The first thing in coming to a new hospital was a complete understanding between the board and the medical superintendent as to what the board required. In order tlu\t he might be able to best carry out the policy of the board Dr, Frazer said he would like to know exactly what policy the board desired to adopt. The doctor then went on to review the methods of hospital management and explained his ideas on the question. The doctor gave his views on his own position and said his view was that he had the supreme authority 7 derived from the board. No person in the hospital could go past him to the board without going to him first. He hoped to keep in contact with the public and with the board, and board members could secure any information from him at any time. “THE TRIANGLE OF AUTHORITY.” Continuing, the doctor gave some interesting information on hospital management and referred to the “triangle of authority,” which consisted of the internal part of the hospital carried out by the matron and her staff, the financial part, in the hands of the secretary, while it was his busind’ss “to have the oilcan in the middle and to have these wheels running smoothly.” He did not consider that the function of the superintendent was to do the “business” of the’ board which, he thought, fell to the lot of the stsretary. He stated that he intended trying to see every patient on admission to tjie hospital, and he would be responsible for all patients whom it was his duty to treat. If the board decided to have an honorary staff then such honorary staff would be responsible for the treatment of their own patients, and it would not be for him to say how those patientsshould be treated, nor would he be responsible for those patients. All he would be responsible for would be that they were getting treatment of soine sort. If he thought it necessary to call in another doctor he thought the board should bear such expense. With regard to the kitchen and the laundry the doctor said the tendency among hospitals was to appoint an independent person to supervise this department, such as a dietetician, but this hardly applied in the present case, where he thought this department would come under the matron. “The reputation of a hospital depends even more on its kitchen than on its medical service,” continued Dr. Frazer. He said he had been accustomed to receive an account of all provisions purchased in order that he could state to the board whether the purchases were reasonable or not. CONTROL OF X-RAY DEPARTMENT. In regard to the X-ray department the doctor said this would come directly under him. so he understood. The chairman: I think the medical superintendent should have exclusive charge of the X-ray department. “There would be no opposition to receiving a ease from an outside doctor for X-ray treatment,” said Dr. Frazer. The chairman; We want you, doctor, to have full charge of that room. On the recommendation of Dr. Frazer the bohrd decided to move the telephone exchange from its present position in the secretary’s office to the medical superintendent’s office. With regard to the discharge of patients the doctor said he had been accustomed to getting patients to sign a card on their leaving hospital to the effect that there were no complaints and that they had received all their belong- , or, if not, what articles were missing. He pointed out that all complaints to the board should go through him as medical superintendent. The board approved of this. “I don’t think there is any need for a hospital of this size to engage a dispenser,” said the doctor. “We are going to give no special treatment to anyone just because they are well oil’,” said the chairman, when explaining that the hospital was to be open to all, irrespective of their position. THE NEW PREPARING FOR OCCUPATION. A special meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board was held yesterday for the purpose of considering several important matters in connection with the opening of the new hospital, and with the appointment of Dr. J. L. Frazer as fulltime medical superintendent. The board members present were: Messrs A. L. Campbell (chairman), A. T. Wills, J. J. Mcldon, J. S. McKay, E. A. Washer, E. J. Gifford and A. G. Larcom. The chairman brought up the question of the time of the doctor’s taking over and Dr. Frazer suggested the beginning of January. He said he would like to be present during the change-over to the new hospital. The board subsequently decided that the doctor should commence duties on January 1The matter of having an honorary staff attached to the new- hospital was brought up by the chairman and Dr. Frazer, by request of the board, gave a short account of his connection with hospitals to which honorary staffs were attached. The board decided, however, to defer coming to any decision on this matter until after the visit of Dr. Valentine. Director-General of Health, who

is to address the board on the question of honorary staffs. The doctor advised that the board should hear what Dr. Valentine and the local medical men had to say before coming to any decision. The matter of accepting tenders for (he staining of the floors at the new hospital was referred to the furnishing committee. 'The question of laying out lhe grounds was discussed with Mr. T. R. Buxton, of Christchurch. The plans prepared by Buxton and Sons were discussed by the board and Mr. Buxton explained what it was proposed to do. The question of forming a tennis court at the rear of the nurses’ home was discussed and the chairman asked Mr. Buxton to estimate what the cost of levelling the ground would be. It was suggested that the board should asphalt the court, and the matter was referred to the furnishing and equipment committee. Mr. Buxton asked that the rubbish and timber on the grounds be cleared away as soon as possible to allow him to commence work at once and the board undertook to sec what could be done in this respect. In reply to a question Mr. Buxton said it. was too late this season to plant shrubs and he would probably be engaged until January preparing the grounds and forming thg borders. If the board intended putting dow-n the lawns next autumn he said he could go ahead preparing the ground. The board agreed to this. The ground, in this case, would have to be ploughed up and ..llowed to fallow during the summer. Mr. A. T. Wills referred to a probable nuisance from dust as a result, but Mr. Buxton did not think this would be so. It was decided that the first undertaking in the scheme of laying out the grounds should be the formation of the drives and the preparation of the grounds for lawns. Mr. Buxton said that if he could get assistance to clear the ground and mow the grass he could skim-plough the ground at once and it was agreed that the farm manager should render assistance whenever possible in this regard in consideration for which Mr. Bux’ton agreed to do extra work outside the contract in the form of preparing the ground for the lawns, without additional cost. Mr. Buxton said he would be engaged on the work for about three months. MATERNITY HOME AT HAWERA. HOSPITAL BOARD SUGGESTION. At the special meeting of the Hawera Hospital Board yesterday, during the discussion with the newly-appointed medical superintendent, the chairman of the board, Mr. A. L. Campbell, stated that the board hoped to utilise a portion i of the old hospital as a maternity home in the near future; the other portion of the building would be used as the old people’s home. “If you undertake this it will meet with my very cordial co-operation and help,” said Dr. Frazer. “I shall be very pleased to help you both for the sake of the women in the baekblocks and for the training of the nurses.” EGMONT A. AND P. SHOW. This year will be the first occasion on which the residents of the Opunake district will be able to avail themselves of the train services on the Opunake line for transport of stock and for passenger traffic to the Egmont A. and P. show. The Railway Department has arranged for a passenger train to leave Opunake at 9.15 a.m. on Thursday, arriving at Hawera at 10.49 a.m., the return train leaving Hawera at 5 p.m.. and arriving at Opunake at 6.34 p.m. There will be three pony trotting races held on the second day, run under permit from the New Zealand Trotting Association. The races should provide a good deal of interest. Another new feature of the. second day’s programme will be a trotting exhibition by Worthy Bingen, Native King and others. The event will take place immediately after grand parade. The Motor Trade Association has arranged with the primary schools in Hawera to close for a half-day on both Wednesday and Thursday. The remaining schools in the South Taranaki district will close for the day on Thursday as arranged by the EgmonJ. A. and P. Association with the Taranaki Education Board. The South Taranaki motor dealers are leaving no stone unturned to make an unqualified success of the motor gymkhana which is being run on the first day of the show. The gymkhana will commence with a car parade, scheduled to leave the post office at 1.15 p.m. Cars valued at £21,400 will proceed to the showgrounds via High Street. They will then participate in a car parade expected to constitute the biggest display of new cars ever made in Taranaki. After the parade exhibitions of skill and novelty stunts promise to keep the spectators amused for the rest of the sfternoon. Twenty-five miles an hour on surf boards tied behind ears thrill competitor and spectators alike. A number of old cars, 1910 model or earlier, have been entered for the old car race. No effort has been spared to prepare and organise the biggest novelty programme over attempted in the district, and given e fine day the show officials anticipate a record attendance. The jumping events have drawn select fields and the judge should have a difficult task to separate the placed horses. The association has arranged to supply hot water free to the visiting public and those wishing to take advantage of this arrangement are asked to park their cars in the parking paddocks adjoining the Camberwell Road entrance. GENERAL. A messenger boy employed by MeGruer. Bone and Co. had a narrow escape from accident yesterday morning. He was cycling in Princes Street when he got in front of a motor-car driven by a lady. The motorist promptly applied the brakes and skidded the car, which came to a stop at the kerb just as it reached the eyelist, who escaped unhurt. His cycle, however, had its front wheel badly bent. Mr. H. G. Dickie, M.P. lor Paten,

a passenger for Wellington by the mail train yesterday. PERSONAL ITEMS. Mr. G. Mahoney, of the Hawera staff of the Bank of Australasia, has been transferred on promotion to the Dunedin office. Mr. Mahoney has been on the staff here since 1911, and for several years has been a keen participant in cricket, being on the executive of the association and a mainstay of the junior team in Hawera. He will be much missed by members of his club. He expects to leave Hawera on Saturday, staying for the week-end at Wanganui en route to bis new home.