HOSPITAL BOARD.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19734, 26 September 1929, Page 5

HOSPITAL BOARD.

YESTERDAY'S MEETING. The monthly meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board wag held yesterday morning, Mr H. J. Otley presiding. On behali of the Board of Management, Mr J. A. Clarke, acting-secretary. United Friendly Societies, wrote making application for a new agreement with the Board. The present scheme terminated in November, the letter stated. A statement showing the amounts receivable, the amounts received, and the number of patients treated under the hospital bed agreement in the period from July Ist, 1928, to June 30th, 1929, was presented by the secretary. This showed that the amount of the accounts was £Y973 16s lOd, and the amount paid £5942 12s lOd. The following amounts were outstanding at September 21st. 1929:—United Friendly Societies i 1504 16s United Kailway Sick Benefit Society £26 is 9d. The number of patients was as follows:—United Friendly Societies 1997, Society 197, Permanent Railway kick Benefit Society 50, United Railway Sick Benefit Society 85, Tramway Employees' Sick Benefit Society 19, total 2348. The matter was referred to the Finance Committee. Letters were received from the Grey, Westland, and Nelson Hospital Boards in reference to the proposed conference with regard to the grouping of Boards to deal with tuberculosis treatment. October 22nd was agreed upon as a suitable date. The matter was referred, to a committee consisting of Miss E. Cardale, Dr. H. T. D. Acland, Mr Otley, and the chairmen of the Finance, Benevolent, and Public Health Com mittees.

The Hospital Committee reported that two sixth year students who had been employed on the resident staff had been recalled to the University for the purpose of preparing for their final examination, and Drg. Swift and Shand had tendered their resignations to take effect at the end of September. One place had been filled by the appointment of Dr. Minty. As the outcome of the meeting it was decided to recommend to the Board that the salaries of the first and second year residents be increased to the rate of £l5O and £250 per annum respectively for the remainder of their term at the hospital, namely, till January 31st, 1930, sueh alteration in the rate of payment to commence from the Ist Inst. It was further decided that the foregoing recommendation should only affect the present emergency, and that the Whole matter of the conditions of service and salaries of the junior medical staff of the hospital should be referred to a conference to be held in Christchureh, consisting of the medical superintendent and representatives of the other main Boards, also the Dean of the Medical Faculty, Dunedin.

The report was adopted. The Hospital Committee also reported: The average daily number of patient! in hospital during August was 374. In the venereal diseases department there were 1154 attendances, representing 281 patients, 36 of whom were new. Consideration of the venerea) diseases report, presented at the last meeting of the Board, and the question of making a charge for each attendance, was deferred for another month owing to the absence of Drs. Thomson and Foster. With reference to Mr Ellis Barraclough, whose letter was read to the Board at the last meeting, he has been invited to present himself again in the X-ray department for the purpose of having a further examination; also an effort has been made to borrow the films from Wellington which, it is said, disclose a definite injury. The question of providing a "day off" per week for the staffs at the country hospitals has been fairly fully gon« into, and it is ascertained that reasonable time off is allowed to members of the staffs, bat it is not always practicable to allow time off in each week.

With regard to thi proposal that consideration should be given to the provision of extra accommodation for "aged" persons who require institutional care and attention it has beem decided to invite representatives from the Benevolent Committee to meet the Hospital Sub-Committee to go fully into this matter.

Dr. Thomson, who some time since, was appointed assistant in the Pathological Department, took up his duties on the Ist inst. The Lady Superintendent reports the resignation of Staff Nurse Mabel Skelton, who has completed her contract. Miss Scott has been temporarily appointed to takv charge at the Cheviot Hospital, to fill the vacancy occasioned by Miss White going to the Chatham Islands. The report was adopted. The Medical Superintendent reported that the patients remaining iD Hospital on August 31st were 168 men. 147 women, and 39 children, a total of 352. The total in patients daring the month were 543, the number of lut-patients 481 and the atten dances 2906. The number of operations under anaesthetics was 325, and of patients in Hospital over two months 50. The report of the Radium Department for August was as follows: —44 new patients were treated, the total attendance at the department was 305. 35 patients were treated with radium, 50 X-ray treatment- were rflven, 144 ultra v.olet ray treatments were given, radium was taken out of the Hospital on four occasions. 18 postal reports were re ceived and 45 ex-patients reported in person, the X-ray tube functioned for 540 minutes, of the new patients three were members of the Hospital staff. The following is s list of notifications of infect.ous diseases during the month of August, received from the Department of Health: —Statist fever 30. diphtheria 21. tuberculosis 14, pneumonia 20, puerperal sepsis 2, Eclampsia 1, pneumonic influenza 10* hydatids 1. cerebro-spinal meningitis 1, lethargic encephalitis 1. total 101. The Medieal Officer of the Infectious Diseases' Hospital reports as follows: —"The bed state at the Infectious Diseases' Hospital is very satisfactory as. while there is no material incresae in diphtheria, there it a marked decrease in scarlet fever. There are now only forty-seven patients, and all are progressing satisfactorily The total number of different eases treated during the month was 153. comprising: Seartet fever 116. diphtheria 37. total 153. The report of the Wed'eal Superintendent of the tuberculosis institutions stated that at the Middle ganatornm at the end of August ther<> were S3 pst'ents. at the Cnrnn«tinp Hospital 68. and at the Upper Sanator um «4 The Benevolent Committee reported:—Tn*nnmb»r of applications for benevolent assistance dealt with was JM. representing 1297 persons; also 11 applications for admission to institutions. The applicants were: Widows 35, deserted 57, sickness 83, unemployed 156. prison 10. old aga 29, illegitimate children 5. asylum 2. The Hospital Committee has invited the Benevolent Committee to set up a gub-eom-mittee to meet the Hospital Sub-Committee to eonsider the question of making provision for the large number of "aged" persons who have to be admitted into hospital owing to there being no accommodation available at the existing homes for the aged. The report was adopted.