WAIPIATA PATIENTS.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 53, Issue 171, 3 May 1933, Page 8

WAIPIATA PATIENTS.

MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE. The Waipiata Sanatorium Committee met at Waipiata on Thursday. The chairman (Mr E. Macdonald) presided, and Mr W. Bryant represented the Ashburton Hospital Board. The Southland Hospital Board forwarded a resolution regarding the necessity for providing more accommodation at the Institution for male patients and urging, oil behalf of those patients who were thus compelled to wait a long time before receiving treatment, that the Committee should do something to provide more beds for male patients. After some discussion on the financal position and the fact that the Associated Boards have already been called upon to provide their share of capital levy required this year for an X-ray plant, the secretary was directed to go into the question with the Medical Superintendent and report as to the probable cost- of erecting six wooden shelters for male parrents to next meeting of Committee. The Medical Superintendent (Dr. A. Kidd) reported that seven patients were admitted to the Institution in March, nine discharged, 110 remaining on April 1, all of whom, with the exception of 14, whose condition at the latter date was stationary, were doing well or improving. The secretary (Mr T. Pryde) reported that at the date of meeting the following Boards had patients in the Sanatorium :—South Canterbury 25, Southland 36, Ashburton 20. Waitaki 11, South Otago 6, Wallace 4, Vincent 7, Maniototo 3, Waipiata Sanatorium Committee 1, a total of 114. Of that number seven had been m the Institution for more than two years, 25 for more than one year, and 82 for less than one year. Since the previous meeting twelve patients had been discharged. He submitted a waiting list of 34 patients from six districts, reporting that arrangements had since been made for the admission of seven of these, thus reducing the actual list to 27. The majority of these, however, were male patients, who, unless the Committee provided more bods, would have to wait some considerable time before being admitted. With a view to keeping the hods in the Institution full, the Committee reaffirmed a previous resolution that the secretary advise all waiting patients that when bods became available they must go forward within seven nays of being notified, otherwise the vacant beds would ho given to the next patient on the waiting list, unless special circumstances prevented patients going in within the time stated. The treasurer submitted his amended estimates of the Committee’s receipts and payments for the ensuing year, providing for a capital levy of £1215 and maintenance expenditure of £14,725, this being provided for by maintenance fees totalling £II,OOO to he collected from the Associated Boards for treatment of their patients. He recommended that ly keeping the beds as full as possible this could be met by a daily charge cf 5s 6d. The secretary reported that the new Scholl X-ray plant had been installed. It was decided to hold the next meeting in Dunedin on Tuesday, May 30.