SECOND EDITION. HOSPITAL BOARD.

Bush Advocate, Volume XXII, Issue 16, 20 January 1910, Page 5

SECOND EDITION. HOSPITAL BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Hospital Board was held at the secretary's office this afternoon, when there were present: Messrs Bickford, (chairman), Gilbertson, Wratt, Rathbone, Buick and Paulson. Apologies were received from Messrs Ericksen and Wilson, and leave of absence was granted to these gentlemen. The chairman reported that a quantity of coal had been ordered, as authorised. _ The secretary reported on enquiries he had made into the question of getting an extra discount on the gas bill, and it was resolved to ask Messrs Chambers and Booth to sup- ?• ya » e »laniate of the cost of instali£ S i gas at the hospital, it being stated that the cost feet gaS ' VaS ° nly ls 9d per 100 ° Nurse M'Lemon wrote tendering' her resignation as a member of the nursing staff .-Resignation .accepted fir? J™ Committee was empowered to nil the vacancy. Mr Rathbone reported on behalf or tlie visiting committee, statingSST/ min + °. r alterations authorout ti me «i tm S h ad been carried Xrh+ u J™ 1 ™ 1 desired that a, slight alteration be made in the, position of two of the doors, and that a gas light be fixed on the Verandah at the women's ward. He also re ported that the canvas blinds on the repSh-td men ' S Ward had been The chairman said he knew that all these requests were reasonable, and should be carried out Resolved that the recommendations be given effect to. The chairman produced the plans or the operating theatre, and proposed alterations to the men's ward,and the matron's quarters, for which tenders are being called. He stated that no authority had been given for the alterations to the men's ward and matron's quarters, but the subcommittee who had dealt with the plans of the operating theatre had considered these alterations necessary He then proceeded to explain for the information of Mr Gilbertson, who was attending his first meeting, the special reasons which made the changes necessary, and these reasons were considered satisfactory. He also explained the financial position of the board, showing that after all accounts had been paid there would be a credit balance of £ll3l, while the liability for the building was only £9OO, so that there was ample funds to carry out the work. With these arrangements Mr Gilbertson expressed himself as perfectly satisfied. The sub-committee previously appointed was then authorised to accept tenders for the new lavatories at the men's ward, and the alterations' to the matron's quarters. ' A discussion arose as to the position of £6OO grant coming from the Waipawa Board when the new Act came into force, but it Avas generally agreed that it Avas a liability which, must be taken over by the new board.. The matron's monthly report was as follows : —Patients admitted to the hospital during the month, males 18. females 9, total 27; discharged, 15 men, 7 women, total 22;; died, 1; remaining in, 27.—Adopted. Mr Rathbone mentioned a certain scour on the road arising from the surface water coming from the hospital grounds.—Left in the hands of Mr Wratt to arrange with the Borough Engineer. Accounts amounting to £227 0s Id were passed for payment. A statement of the outstanding fees was submitted by the secretary, showing the total amount as £662 9s 6d. This was generally considered a very heavy amount, and Mr Gilbertsou moved that a sub-committee consisting of the chairman, Messrs Wratt and Buick be set up to assist the secretary in the direction of writing off the bad accounts, and taking action to recover amounts due by patients who can afford to pay.—Carried. The secretary said he had sent out 110 accounts, and a number had been returned through the dead letter office. The question of the fees charged was discussed. Some of the members considered that in cases where the patients were well able to pay more than the regular scale of 3s per day, they should be charged a higher rate, but as the matter involved an amendment of the bylaws the matter was left over for the new board to deal with. The board then adjourned.