CARE OF CONSUMPTIVES.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIII, Issue 213, 5 September 1912, Page 6

CARE OF CONSUMPTIVES.

HOSPITAL BOARD'S SCHEME. A HOME NEAR THE CITY. Out of a total of 28+ patients in the , Auckland Hospital just now, 65 have , been in the institution for more than , two months. This information was conveyed to the Board when sitting in Committee to-day by the senior resident medical officer (Dr. Maguire). ■ The Inspector-General of Hospitals i (Dr. Valintine), who was present, in- I formed the Board that fifteen of the ' long-term patients were tubercular cases. One had been in the hospital for two years and two months, one for a yea* ' and ten months, one for a year and eight months, and three for a year. Dr. Valintine expressed the hope that the Board would before long make permanent provision for consumptive enses. It was the only one of the more important Boards that had not taken such action. The Department had, he. said, continued the temporary arrangements, at the Sanatorium near Cambridge, in the belief that such provision was to be made. In reply to Mr. K. 11. Potter, the In-spector-General stated that most of the chronic cases referred to were those of patients suffering from tubercular spine. A large percentage of incurable hospital patients suffered from tuberculosis to a' more or less extent. The acting-chairman (Mr. P. .T. N'erheny) stated that the Board had the matter of providing for consumptives under consideration. Mr. J. G. ttuthetford objected to the housing of consumptives at the Cost ley Home. Mr. P. M. Macky remarked that the shelters now in use at that institution had been placed there temporarily for the benefit of patients who had either to be. resit to. the sanatorium in the Waikato district or who hfid to come away from the latter institution a.s incurable. The arrangement was only intended as tentative, and he hoped that the Board would soon complete nrranjreinenls to erect a home for consumptives somewhere, near the city. Mr. Rutherford advocated the purchase of a site near the railway line, so that relatives 'would have facilities for visiting patients. The acting chairman informed Or Valintine that the. Board intended giving i the. matter early consideration. I A discussion ensue,-) as the outcome of . a. letter from the Department asking; that -patients sent tiy the Boaxd to the' VVaikato Sanatorium should be a renin- I panied by s guarantee for the payment of nt least n month's Jt>e? -whether they remained in the institution for that length of time or not. i Members were at. first inclined to view th<- suggestion as unfair, whereupon T)r. Yalintine pointed oiit that th* Department had practically disorganised the i whole "of the Waikato institution in | order to assist the Board in dealing with ' its consumptive patients. ' Members knew quite well that in fhe. past the veran-1 daha of the Auckland Hospital tad -been : filled with tubercular cases, whereas now there were hardly any. Tlie Wnikat-oi Sanatorium wns intended for Hie treat- \ ment 6f curable patip.rrts, but in coming! to the assistance of the Auckland Board | the Department had relaxed its reginla- 1 tiojis considerably by only 'charging for ; Board patients at the rate rrf £1 per! ■week. He asauresi them that this repre-1 ne.ntrd only a third of the totil cost,! to the Government. "Well, gentlemen." added Dr. Valintine, "if -the proposition . does not meet with your approval r>fmina't' , the arrangement, .md in future, let all patients he cnaTged so milch ' per day. Onh". if that is done, we shall ( , evpi-ct to 'be ipnid full r.itep. a' you are paid fo-r patient-.s who come to the: ■ T>i-=.trii-t Hof-nitnl from places <=iich as the' North of Auckland." ' Mr. Potter thonsTit thAt the T>ropo=.i-! tion was quite reasonable, and Mr. M«c-| kay remarked that after hearing the explanation of the Tn.°r>ectorOeneral. h* was of the Mime opinion. After nil. in * several years there had only been one pa<ticnt who did not remain more than a month. On the motion c! Mr. F. Dtp. it was decided that the request of the Department for a guarantee be a'lreeil to. Mr. Rutherford: 1 am very pleased tlvi« '" matter has' cropped up because it will bring home to the Board the necessity for hurrvir.g on with the scheme to ! provide for consumptives. ('Hear, hear.)