Hospital Management.

Thames Star, Volume VIII, Issue 2852, 5 April 1878, Page 2

Hospital Management.

We- hare perused with nneh pleasure two very interesting and impprtant documents in connection with the Hospital, prepared at the cost of a considerable amount of time and trouble by Mr E« Honiss, the secretary to that institution. The first of these is a minutely detailed statement of the expenditure of theHos* pital since its founding in 1871—7 yean from the present time. . The first item, salaries, shows that these bad been pretty much the same for the last six years,: the average being about £663. The lowest during the six years was in 1872, when they amounted to £625; and the highest in 1870, when they totted up £691. The first year of the Hospital they only amounted to £495 10s Bd. The maintenanoe account (meat, groceries, bread, fuel, etc) has been less during 1876-77 than any previous year, with the exception of the first, which reflects the greatest | credit on the management of Dr Perston | and Dispenser Aitken, to whom the say- i ing is in a great measure due. During 1877 the expenditure on this account was: £416 7s 6d, while the average expenditure on this account during the preceding five years was about £534. We next come to the medical comforts account (wine, etc.) when we find that during 1877 the expenditure under this item was only £47. which is considerably smaller than any previous year. This item has ranged as high as £106 2s, and the great reduction is a " feather in the cap, so to speak, of the present surgeon. The expenditure on instruments and ap« pliances, funerals, furniture, buildings improvement and repairs is, of course, governed by circumstances, and comparisons in these items are unnecessary. It may be of interest, however, to know, that the total amount expended on build* ings, etc,, since 1871 has been £7817s 7d. The printing, advertising, and stationery account shows that considerable economy hns been exercised during 1877, the expenditure being less than during any year since the hospital has been established, while under the heading " miscellaneous expenses" we find a similar result. The daily average of patients in the Hospital has been about 19, the highest being 25 yearly, and tho lowest 17. The daily diefary cost of these patients in 1877 was Is 4d and a decimal, which is less than any previous year with the exception of 1871, while in 1875 it cost as much as Is Bfd per diem. We now turn to the second paper referred at the commencement of this article. It is a statement of the annual income of the Hospital, and the sources from whence derived. Tho first item—private contributions—is £183 7s 7d for 1877, which is a considerable falHug off from the preceding year, when the largest amount from this source was collected— £286 19s 7d. The average of the two years, is, however, greater than that of thepreeedingfiveyears. During the past two year* the amounts received from workmen have considerably fallen off/ which is doubtless caused by the commercial depression in the field, and the same remark applies to the amounts received from societies, etc., and mining companies. The latter case deserves more than passing comment, however, as during 1877

they contributed nothing towards the Hospital. This is a circumstance to be strongly deprecated, as, if it were not for the Hospital, the companies might be called on to support the men injured in the mines. We trust that 1873 will show an improvement under ihis head. During 1877 the Hospital Sund iy collections exceeded any previous year since their inauguration in 1874. The total amount collected under this head during the four years has been £24517s 4d. The Friendly Societies demonstration for 1877 returned considerably more than any prerioos year, namely, £137 13s 3d as against £72 4a 9d in 1876, and £74 12s Gd in 1876. Under the heading of other benefits we find that the sum collected in 1877, is. £22 19a, which is below the average for the preceding six years, which amounts to £37. The next item—pay ing patients—ii worthy of some consideration. The following are the annual receipts from that source :-1871, £28 18s ; 1872, £28 2s s 1873, £]3 10s; 1874, £30 9« 6d; 1875! £27 2s Id; 1876, £46 12a; 1877, £64 7ft 2d. By the abore statement it will be seen that a little salutory 41 patting on the screw " in the war of making those who could pay, oontribats) , to the funds of the Hospital, hu had a beneficial effect. The Government grant, whiak have amounted to £1000 per annuU, ii the next sonros) of revenue, after which is the "other' ' sources." The. total amount collected under this head since the founding of th« i- ? Hospital has been £3 10s 6d. Thefol*/ * losing is the total receipts and expend*' ' for the past seven yean, a result lor .which the surgeon in obarge should §et .credit:— ..;,, • ,' ". ..V^, .\ BKEtrn. v- . Kxnasmraa.. . - £, «. d. *• ■. ■d. rr 1871 1,676 16 2 1,320 13 6 r 1872... 1,686 15 2 1,960 26 , 1C73 1,658 6 3 1,632 13 4 18.4 1,275 14 0 1,467 9 11 1876 ;. 1,567 10 3 1,661 11 10 1876 1,686 2 6 1,637 Ul' 1 1877 1,536 13 6 1,296 6 3 T0ta1,..£10,986 16 6 10,784 9 5 Rcciirra nr Excns or K*V"y**'— ** '< 5 Exnrommi. rSSSUs* i, *, id.: ■ £ «.' d. 1871 247 1 8 1872 273 7 4 1873 125 11 11 1874....,.; , 191 15 2 1875 94 1 7 1876 147 9 5 1877 241- 8 2 /..', / ( Total ...£761 11 2 J569 4 1 "rom the above table it will bo isea that careful management during last ~&.v left r. balance of £241 8s 2d, altbccgh the revenue was smaller than any'of the preceding years, with the exception of'one. It will also be noticed that,the expendi* ture for 1877 is smaller than anj; previow year. Taking the highly satisfactory nature of these-.comparisons into eon* sideration, the sufeweribers may eongrato-; .r late themselves efejkaving a well managed and carefully looked after institutionmanaged in a manner that few other hospitals in the Colony oan boast of.