TUAPEKA HOSPITAL.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VII, Issue 370, 4 July 1874, Page 2

TUAPEKA HOSPITAL.

The ordinary monthly meeting of the Committee of Management of the Tuapeka Hospital was held in the Commercial Hotel on Tuesday evening last. Present : E. H. Carew, Esq., President, in the chair ; and the following members- of Committee, viz., Messrs. Meyer, Abel, Arthur, Armstrong, Fraer, Han-op, Roughan, Bryant, Thomson, Jeffery, and the Secretary, W. Hayes. The Resident Surgeon was also present..

The minutes of the previous meeting were read and confirmed, after a correction was made in one of them. A letter was received from the Provincial Government in reply to one sent by the Secretary, at the instigation of the Committee, making application for a grant of £200 towards placing the Hospital Buildings in a proper state of repair. The Government said they had no money at their disposal for such a purpose. The Secretary stated that in compliance with the wish of the Committee, he had obtained copies of the rules of several similar institutions. They were laid on the table. The Resident Surgeon stated that he had prepared a report, as desired by the Visiting Committee, on the subject of the medical comforts used in the Hospital. He might remark that he had not entered so fully into the subject as he might be able to explain orally.

The letter forwarded by the Secretary to Dr. Stewart, at the request of the Visiting Committee was read. The following is a copy of it :— >

" Sir, — I am directed by the Visiting Committee to call your attention to the accounts for medical comforts during the last six months, which to them appear large ; and as a number of subscribers are agitating about this expenditure, to respectfully request you to inquire into the matter, and furnish a report to the General Committee at the next meeting, so that the subscribers will be assured that there has been no unnecessary outlay of the funds for medical comforts.

" I am also directed to inform you that the Committee purpose taking an inventory of all stock in the Hospital, and to request you to get the Wardsman to prepare a list of stock, and inform the Committee when such has been done, so that they can attend and check the same. If necessary, my clerk can attend and assist the wardsman in taking stock."

The Resident Surgeon then read the following letter, as embodying his reply to the request contained in the foregoing communication :—: —

"Gentlemen, — "In accordance with a request from your Visiting Committee relative to the expenditure of money from December Ist, 1873, to May Ist, 1874 (a period of five months), for medical comforts, asking me to give information in connection therewith : I have the honor to reply that during that period the class of cases admitted into the Hospital was of a nature requiring treatment of a more stimulating character than what has occurred in the Tuapeka Hospital for at least over eleven years. " In the report supplied by Mr. Squires, it is said that a sum of £150 has been expended in the treatment of the Hospital patients for five months. The amount itself seems large, but I would respectfully draw your attention to the fact that the comforts supplied to the Hospital are of the best quality, each glass of porter costing at least 6d, each glass of wine sd, and each glass of brandy 4d. " As I am not the storekeeper of the Hospital, I do not know whether the quantities charged for have ever been ordered, received, i or distributed ; all that I hava to do with the matter is to instruct the Wardsman what quantity each patient whom I consider should have medical comforts should receive j and I cannot refrain from thinking that an overstraining of the matter has been attempted when I find out from the Hospital Storekeeper that a sum of £31 10s. for port wine | has been expended during the last five months, when the fact remains that although paid the cask of wine had not been opened. " An easy method of providing against supposed . » . at the Hospital would be this: — 1. Take stock of everything at the Hospital ; 2. The Surgeon to ... everything ordered to patients ; 3. Every one, two, or three months a stock-taking to be effected, and compared with the quantities ordered. "In conclusion, I may say that excepting in the matter of porter, which I must say has been used in excess of my instructions, I find no fault with the carrying out of my instructions.

" In picking out some months' expenditure and leaving out others that might present a

favorable comparison with itself ai Hospitals, the matter is manifestly and I would simply remark that dt month of June not more than £1 medical comforts have been consume He had noticed it stated in some of is papers that brand/ could be obtj 2id. a glass. If so, he was not awti it could be obtained, a 0 the Hosp^ not get it under sd. He would tk answer «ny questions s *©* the subjec expenditure for medical comforts doubtedly been large, but, as he ha< the kind of patients were such as x more than an ordinary supply of stimulants. The deaths had also been] but perhaps some people would be ungi enough to attribute these to the quaa stimulants administered. m

Mr. Fraer, aa a member of the H " Committee, said that about two mo^H a it appeared to the Visiting Coinmitt^H I large sum of money was expended on^J . comforts, and, after making inquiry taining a list of five month's suppl^H V laid the matter before the last CoiH c meeting. It was then determined to^H some system of check* by which a rflH the quantities used for patients could 1H With regard to the past, the Visiting " mifctee did not see that anything c^M k done; but they believed some system tiH c could be adopted for the future. H c doing anything, however, they thovH , advisable to communicate with the ]&■ Surgeon, asking him if he could grß n explanation of the matter. That -vrafl )}) } and Dr. Stewart's report as read by bfl „ the result. He (Mr. Fraer) regrettM ° Mr. Squires was in Dunedin, as that .1 !? man had gone to a deal of trouble M n paring a comparative statement of til 3 penditure for medical comforts for 187q| • had received a letter from him apologia! his absence, and directing him to obta n statement referred to, which he no: •- mitted to the Committee. The following is tho statement: — , > ■ i L , 1 t S , • i l n 3 c 3 1 ; | • i

The Resident Surgeon, said Mr. Sqn report was perfectly fair excepting inj article—viz., a cask of port wine, which J been paid for, and had not been opened. ' Mr. Fraer informed the doctor that h» mistaken. He must be referring to « other cask, as the one referred ta was pa£ the beginning of June. Mr. Arthur, who supplied the win©/ appealed to, and stated that two qiw casks had been supplied during the p^ year. i Mr IVaer said there was a deal of oil dissatisfaction owing to the statements had been laid before the Committee unless these were explained, lib fearcj institution might suffer. He was award; 1 were many persons only too glad of an « to decline subscribing to anything; b believed there were others who would s to subscribe from conscientious cenvit unless the Committee made some invel tions mto the subject. He consider behoved the Committee to let the p know there was not any undue waste ii management of the Hospital. Mr. Armstrong considered the statemej report of Mr. Squires' which had beei& on the table a very unsatisfactory one fetftfr before the public. It had neither a begir nor an end. The stock in hand at tl ginning of 1873. and at the close of thtf year wa3 not stated. It simply showed of figures, and-it was well known thab& could be made to prove anything. H| sidered it was an ia judicious matter to I about. The figures quoted had proj^j the public. Mr. Bryant said it had been stated a& previous meetiD£ that there vat no «tO3 hand.

Mr. Harrop moved, "That all papers in connection with the subject of medical comforts be referred to the Visiting Committee, and that they be requested to enquire into the matter and bring up a full report on as early a date as can bo made convenient."

, Mr. Bryant seconded the motion, which was carried.

From the monthly return of patients admitted into.- the Hospital, we notice that „ daring the month of Jane 17 patients were admitted, 14 discharged, and 1 died. Seven outdoor patients had been treated during the month.

The Treasurer reported that during the month a donation of £50 had been received from Mr. Joseph Clarke, of Moa Flat. The Secretary was instructed to acknowledge with thanks the liberal donation, and at the same time to intimate to Mr. Clarke that he had been appointed a Life Governor Of the Tuapeka Goldfields Hospital. The Treasurer also reported that he had teceived the sum of £62 from Dr. Stewart on account of paying patients. The tenders were then opened, and resulted as mentioned in our last issue. The meeting then adjourned.

1873. 1874. Medioai Comports. January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. April. December. January. February. March. May. Port Wine - - ~* £29 1 0 £1 5 0 £10 0 0 £8 15 0 £13 15 0 639 0 0 £15 0 0 £2 4 0 £2 4 0 £21 15 0 Brandy • - - £4 4 0 £2 2 0 6 6 0 £4 4 0 £6 12 0 £7 14 0 £8 16 0 8 16 0 8 16 0 8 16 0 8 14 0 11 19 3 13 0 0 8 14 0 8 14 0 Porter • - - 6 8 0 5 8 0 4 5 0 1 9 0 , 2 17 6 0 19 6 1 10 0 0 12 6 2 0 0 4 15 0 3 0 0 .3 0 0 3 15 0 3 7 6 3 15 0 f 4 10 0 Ale - - - - » 0 16 6 Geneva - - - 2 12 6 2 12 6 I 2 14 0 2 14 0 2 14 0 >lt--i,T.