THE OBSTETRICAL HOSPITAL

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21939, 13 November 1936, Page 17

THE OBSTETRICAL HOSPITAL

XO THE EDITOB Ot THE PRBSS. gj r _Dr. MacMillan asks me to make Jwiic my views on the question of Jnjaternity hospital for Christchurch. , afraid I should take up too much j ypyr space if I tried to elaborate Lm and so I shall confine myself short synopsis. Such a$ they they are quite definite In my > own JJted, and are the result of much’ conjAgtttian while I was working for the Sfrith Department, and of my exZricoce elsewhere. •j believe a modern obstetrical hosfor patients who are. unable to RTthe fees of private maternity hosis a necessity. Such a hospital iLjJjild be open to every woman who j. flnanciahy suitable. To exclude a yppian on account of her past history; jTto tny mind, contrary to ortUnasy' honanitr. Such a hospital shoi£<x 'be urge enough to provide f or a resident medical officer a limited jjaaber of resident students. I consider 50 beds to be tafc minimum numrer advisable. -Residential quarters for medical o£*cer and students must he in. the hospital. is no room in Christchurch for a hospital of this size, and for St. gel£2fi and the obstetrical department oj the Essex Home. The number of suitable patients is insufficient. Therefore these hospitals must be merged jn ihe new hospital, which can be enlarged as found necessary. A similar merging of any other maternity htfpital, such as that of the Salvation snay, is advisable in order to make the new hospital as large as possible. For many reasons it should be built dose to the General Hospital, It *quM be under the control of either foe Health Department or the Hospital Board. For obvious reasons it is, in my opinion, wholely inadvisable to piece it under the care of a special board.

The resident medical officer should work under the directions of the visit* iag medical obstetricians, of whom there should be not more than one for each 25 beds. In addition, the services of medical, surgical, and obstetrical consultants should be available. The pathological work might, I think, be undertaken by the pathological de* parfanent of the General Hospital. T The objects of such a hospital as I have described are threefold. First, to provide the best possible maternity treatment for those who need it and are unable to get it elsewhere, Second, to provide routine training in midwifery for medical students. Third, to provide the greatest possible obstetrical experience for a limited somber of medical practitioners, and so to produce obstetHcal consultants of the highest rank, who will. In turn, give back to their patients the benefit! they have received from the hospital.—Yours, etc., HENRY JELLETT. November 12, 1936. TO THE EDITOB OF Tit* PBE9S. Sir.—l should like to inform Dr. McMillan through your columns that when Dr. Averill spoke to the.Rotaries on the subject of “St. Helens Hospital’’ he did so in support of the Christchurch branch of fee National Council of Women, who recently took a deputation to the Hon. P. Fraser urging that a new hospital be built on a central site. We received every consideration from the Minister, who seemed to rcause it was a question of urgency, aqd we are hopeful of receiving a definite assurance that our request will be acceded to in the near future. — fours, etc., _ MILDRED TRENT, President, Christchurch Branch; i the National Council of Womeri ; of New Zealand. November 12/ 1930.