HOSPITAL MATTERS.

Evening Post, Volume LXXVII, Issue 21, 26 January 1909, Page 6

HOSPITAL MATTERS.

.';;; BOARD AND TRUSTEE'S. ! . - ALLEGATIONS DENIED... j Another statement of , POSITION. i •'.'The present relations of the Welling- i ton Hospital Board of Trustees and I the Wellington District Hospital Boar.d wjcre fully discussed to-day a1?» the meeting of the trustees. Particular reference was made to statements made ■ at the last meeting of the District Board, when allegations of extravagance and complaints of insufficient information furnished were laid to the charge o£ the trustees. The question of dual control was then raised, and the chairman of the District Board (Mr. J. P. £uke, M.P.)' expressed the opinion that it would be far better that the administration of the hospital should be under the supervision of one body. At tKe opening of the meeting of the Board of: Trustees to-day, Mr. J. Danks, in replying to the congratulations o£ the chairman (Hon. 0. M. Luko) on his return to the board, referred to this statement, with the remark thav'/ it looked as if the powers of the trustees were likely to he transferred to .another body. CHAIRMAN'S EXPOSITION". The chairman then entered into a full exposition of the whole situation. In the first place, he said, there wa:s no qnarrel between the District Hospital Board and the Board of Trustees. A good deal had been said at the last meeting as to the responsibility of th, 5 : District Board to find finance and discharge its duties in connection with the institution. The press, and particularly the Evening Post, in commenting on i rhe discussion, had emphasised the state of things between the two boards in a manner calculated to cause a certain ' amount of unrest. It was the very seriousness of the fever hospital question that led the tmstees to take such steps as were v necessary in order to matme their plans for a fever hospita* building. In order to do this they conferred with the honorary {medical staff, as well as the ordinary medical staff, and also with the Public Health officers. Dr. Findlay and Dr. Ewart, with the architect, put on paper what they considered necessary to me&t the i requirements of the community. The result was the plans set before the trustees some few weeks ago. "We had a conference with the District Hospital Board that lasted two hours," continued" the chairman. "So far as my mind is concerned, 1 laid it bare before that conference in respect of the proposals before you. 1 know absolutely nothing in connection with the fever hospital building and {he general scheme that was not set before the District Board." Continuing, the chairman referred to the presence on both bodies of two gentlemen, Messrs. Kirk and M'Ewan, as a sort of channel of information by which the proposals of the trustees might be set before the District Board. As a separate institution in existence twenty-five years, they had never had any friction with the District Board, and only within the last four years had any question arisen as to their rights and responsibilities in relations with the District Board. The trustees had tried to fall into line from time to time with the new order of things.' had worked with the District Boand in the treatment of consumptive cases at the Qtaki Sanatorium, and had given the board rights and privileges in regard to - persons applying for entrance into the Wellington Hospital. "I, hope and believe," declared Mr. Luke, "that tne best relations wijl still subsist between us, though it would appear, according to the press, that there is a deadlock between the two bodies."' The chairman contested a statement by a member of the District Board that they alone represented the ratepayers. Whom did the trustees represent? Every member of the Board of Trustees, was on some local body or other, with perhaps one exception. If representation was to be on a financial basis, .as suggested, the board should be constituted of one half Government nominees, the Government finding one-half .the. money. Then, about another quarter would bo represented by the Wellington City Corporation, which supplied such a large proportion of the funds. It would be out of the question to have the board entirely constituted on a financial basis. The public, which contributed last 'year £804, the. year before £)2020, and in £1906 £341, had aright to some representation on Board of 'Trustees. It was true that very many ~of those who contributed to the hospital funds did not take much interest in 'sending representatives to the board, but still sufficient interest had been taken every year to send representatives of the great body of contributors. ' .COST OF EXTENSION. A great deal had been said about the cost of the hospital. That was tho kernel of the whole matter. Tho. tmstees v/cie perfectly alive to economies necessary, quite an alive as tho District Board. They recognised that a building adequate to the needs of the district should be erected. Yet it was simply amazing when the District Board made statements as to beds costing £503 as excessive expenditure. The first scheme provided for 36 fever beds, 13 beds for measles cases, 9 beds for diphtheria, 3 beds for an insulated ward, a total of 66 beds, or a cost equal to £288 per bed. On the basis of fever hospitals in Greftit Britain, the cost would be something between £500 and £600 per bed. It was, after all, an economical proposal they had before them. As to whether it was necessary to piovide foi all the cases mentioned, it was for them to decide. A modified scheme provided £3500 for 36 beds for fever patients. Frequently during last year there were as many as 35 patients in the entirely inadequate present fever ward. The second scheme represented a cost of about £322 per bed. "A tnird scheme made no provision for measles and diphtheria cases, and represented a cost of £340 per bed. Whether the cost per bed was reasonable or not he was not prepared to say. The Health Department determined that question. The Health Department had a right to determine the character of the building for fever purposes, and it was not unreasonable* see-

ing that the Government provided half the money. AN INNUENDO ANSWERED. There had been an innuendo that they were pore or less indifferent to tho test of things and not an economical body. He would quote figures to refute that. The average cost to the institution per day per patient compared as follows in the four large towns : — Wellington 3s lid, Auckland 4s, Christchurch 5s 7d, Dunedin 5s sd. The management of the Dunedin Hospital was practically the same as that in Wellington in character. There were only one or two institutions in New Zealand where tho cost was lower. Kumara and Havelock wero examples. The erection of a convalescent home anc hospital at Petone was rather outside their province. If the needs of the community were best met in that way, therb could b& nothing against it. It was largely a question for the bodies interested, and for medical men to determine. That any Act of Parliament now under consideration was likely to better the condition of th© institution was all a matter of opinion. Personally he was always in sympathy with direct representation by the people who contributed the money. They would not have more direct representation of local bodies than they had at present. No gentleman would discharge the duties m connection with the institution better than they were now discharged. Th© trustees had kept on the best terms with the medical and nursing staffs, and had the best interests of the patients and the community at heart. WHAT IS NOW PROPOSED. In conclusion, Mr. Luke said they had no idea of going forward at present with the general scheme until they had matured their plans- and fully discussed the situation with the District Board. As much as they could do this year was to erect the fever hospital, with the possibility of a children's ward being erected afterwards, a scheme which the ladres of the community would be only too glad to forward. A children's* ward was nowhe>-e co badly needed as in the j Wellington Hospital. He would like to say that the Hospital had not grown in proportion with the population of the community. It was upwards of fourteen or fifteen years ago since there bad been any great extension. It was urgently necessary to provide for increased accommodation. THE BOARD'S VIEW. Mr. R. C. Kirk pointed out that a* a member of- the District Hospital Board he endeavoured to convey to the members of that board information regarding the guiding motives of the Hospital Trustees. (Hear, hear). At the same time, when he heard the District Board criticised as 1 it had been that morning he felt it necessary to explain what was in the minds ot his colleagues on that board. The whole trouble, thought Mr. Kirk, was that the chairman of the Hospital Board spoke more in a general manner than the cii-cum&tances warranted. But that ! board had to go to their local bodies 'and make a levy of probably a very I large amount ol money foi- the new works which were to be carried out in conr l ecu"'on with the Wellington Hospital. They wished to put before the contr&iuing bodies that information, the foundation of which was in the possession of the Hospital Trustees. L'he trustees were perfectly conversant with all of the requirements, and neither Mr. M'lTwan, nor himself iully appreciated tli? difficulty which outside men must expedience in graeping the position after listening to a verbal statement at a conference. The trustees did not expect the board to pass a big recommendation without fui l explanation (hear, • hear), and the trustees intended that the meeting which had been held should only be a i«eliminary conference. Details would be worked out, and later on, when pjans were more mature, a statement might be compiled, and the proposals placed before the District Board m black and white. Then the members of ihe District Board would be. able to "chew it over" before they met the trustees, and would be much better able to a.«k questions on an,/ points which were not clear to them. On both sides more had been made of this apparent difference than reaJly exi&ted. The tnis^ees were unanimous in their feeling that the Dittrict Board should have the fullest information on all these matters — (hear, hear)— and favoured an attitrade of conciliation between the two boards rather than anything that would lead to friction. He felt sure that txie Board of Trustees would evolve its schemes in the cheapest way consistent, with efficiency, and in a reasonable way. ANOTHER CONFERENCE. After other memJbers had spoken, it was resolved, on the motion of Mr. M'Ewan, seconded by Mr. Smith, to confer with the Disu-ict Hospital Board as soon as the plans had been fully matured.