THE HOSPITALS.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXI, Issue 217, 12 September 1900, Page 5

THE HOSPITALS.

INSPECTOR'S -ANNUAL REPORT.

.tion.—Copyright.]

AUCKLAND HOSPITAL OVER-

OFFICERED,

WELLINGTON, this day.

The annual report of the Inspector of Hospitals and Charitable. Institutions is a model of brevity, and establishes a record in that category. * It ia as follows:—"Sir,—From my point of view some time must elapse before any satisfactory judgment. can be formed of the far : reaehing social effects of the Old Age Pensions Act.

The question of making provision I for incurables is becoming of passing importance. In the'new Local Qor verrirment: Bill provision ®ho.uld be made, for a special, auxiliary building connected with the hospitals in each of the four large centres for cases iot this description.. This'would, I think, be the cheapest and most satisfactory way of solving this problem, for there •sefeims to be no tendency among the existing local bodies; to combine to deal-with this difficulty'in any oomprehensive, way. As a measure of temporary relief, Mother Mary -Joseph Aubert, under, the auspices of the Catholic Church, has provided a suitable house with ten beds near Sussex Square, in Wellington," , : . . ■.:■%,_ The report on the Auckland Hospital shows that the number of patients on 131 st March was 133; admitted during i the year, 1493; discharged, 1294; died, 165. The receipts were £15,596 and expenditure' £14,095. The receipts were: From Government, £4755; local bodies, £4255; subscriptions and donations, £44; bequests, £2991; and patients' payments,. £ 3548. The Inspector reports that he visited the Hospital on 19th February and 6th April. The chief feature, of fhe recent management of this hospital, says the Inspector, is the marked tendency to develop beyond reasonable, bounds the number of' the, staff. For an average of about a hundred and forty patients there are three medical men, a dispenser, a house steward, eleven' male nurses, cooks and porters, a matrom, forty-five nurses of different grades, and nine female servants. (All the laundry work is done, at the Costley Home.) This means that in all seventy officers and servants are employed to look after 140 patients. In addition to all this a majority of the Board seem determined to introduce the strict eight hcmr syistem,: and the first fruits of this is a determination to extend the Nurses' Ho™®,';towards which the Government the other day granted a subsidy of' £575. Tf the country can afford to go on at this rate our hospitals will come to bulk much more largely, in our annual expenditure. The management of: the hospital apart from this is very satisfactory. . ; - Div,MacGi*egor reports on the Auckland institutions yats, fol-. Jowsr-r—"Coistley■« HqmeVfor the Aged Poor, Auckland: One hundred and twenty-five men and forty-nine. »■ men,' Iseventy-five of : thjem. old age pensioners. This- institution, still continues to be excellently managed by Mr and Mrs Moss. The Chairman of the Board has promised a few more comforts for the old ladies in the infirmary ward.*, in the way of easy chairs, etc. On the male side there is a night and a day wardi-inah. to- look after,the sick, am d infirm;,aud on the other side Mrs Moss has a nurse assistant. . Two imbecile men and two women were in seclusion. A chapel has been.added, where all denominations can hold service.

"The piggeries are not cleanly, kept, and the ground-around them- was rotten with refuse. The drainage finds its own way through a volcanic, crevr ice. : ■ " ■''■ -

"The Women's Refuge, Auckland; is a small home for similar cases. The building is quite-unsuitable. There is also a female refuge in Dunedin, The main object of some of these institutions seemis to be successful lanndry work and the money gained thereby, and-not the kindly personal influencs to be ga^ied over the unfortunate girls, helping rhem to steer straight for the future." i