HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 14, 17 January 1905, Page 3

HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

SUGGESTIONS FROM NAPIER.

(By TeJfegraph.—Press Association.)

NAPIER, Monday. meeting of the committee of the Oilier Hospital- this afternoon, a report esented from the medical staff * a *tbe question oi the erection at the k 'tal of a wnnl for chronic cases. The tof were unanimously of opinion that i o wire! was needed, but that there n0 room on the hospital site with Z present arrangement of buildings. They considered that in view of the pret and future needs of the district an Station of from 30 to 50 beds, iuluive of *)de wards for isolation cases, would be required. It was also eonaide j that cases of pulmonary phthisis ITjuld not be eligible for admission. The « rt pointed out that what was reuired even more urgently than a chronic lard was a separate children's ward, d also a female surgical ward, as tne meseat system of treating surgical case=», eptic and otherwise, with medical oases, ■/one ward, was opposed to all modern surtneal principles. Attention was called t0 the danger arising from the present ueatment of pulmonary consumption in the hospital. There ire at present a lame number of such cases, the treatment of which constituted a menace to Other patients, especially those in their convalescence. The verandahs which we re instituted to aid the convalescence o f patients arc now mainly taken up with patients suffering from tuberculosis, and undergoing the open-air treatment. It vras impossible to prevent other patients from being brought into close contact with these, and although fully alive to the fact that for humane Teasons such eases must be admitted, it was imperative that the question of other accommodation for them should be fully gone into. At the same time, any attempt to establish an open-air sanatorium in Napier was to be strongly deprecated- owing to the danger w> the scnettU community. A strong reeonunendation was also made made tn favour of the institution of district nurses, under which system a large number of cases, chronic in nature, could be weil treated at home. The system had been tried extensively in England, and found to work very satisfactorily. In view of the importance of the subject tie whole question will be fully considered at the next meeting of trustees.