CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL

Press, Volume LXXXVII, Issue 26513, 30 August 1951, Page 9

CHILDREN IN HOSPITAL

PROPORTION TO TOTAL OF PATIENTS

CHAIRMAN OF BOARD EXPRESSES CONCERN

It was questionable whether it was a matter for pride that 18 per,cent, of patients in the Christchurch Public Hospital consisted of children up to 10 years of age, said the chairman of the North Canterbury Hospital Board (Mr V. C. Lawn) when he opened a post-graduate course in pediatrics yesterday. The course is being held by the Christchurch Hospital Post-Graduate Committee in association with the New Zealand Pediatric Society. . . , Mr Lawn said that the next highest age group in the Christchurch Public Hospital was between 61 and 70. That age group comprised 16 per cent, of those in hospital. “I feel that with the modem hygienic conditions of to-day we should keep more of our young out of hospital,” Mr Lawn said. In one year there were 154 children —up to five years of age—in hospital because of accidents. Of that number there were 47 cases of bums and 24 of poisoning through pills and medicines taken accidentally. The Health Department was at present engaged in a publicity campaign to warn people of the dangers of leaving drugs about for children to take. Whether doctors prescribed too, much medicine to the point where they were left on shelves he could not say, but perhaps the society might interest itself in that aspect of the question to keep children out of hospital. Last Sunday there were 570 patients in the Christchurch Public Hospital. Mr Lawn said. Ninety of those patients were children and apnroximately 30 per cent, of those children were under one year of age. The board was proud of the facilities in the children’s ward, Mr Lawn said. The ward had a complete set of stainless steel beds and cots which were bought without expense to the ratepayers. A fund had been started in the sergeants’ mess at Burnham Military Camp and trust funds had been added to buy them. , As well as declaring the postgraduate course open, Mr Lawn also formally opened the room on the upper floor of the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church youth centre. The upper floor has been given to the North Canterbury Hospital Board for lectures and meeting rooms.