BACTERIOLOGY

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 66, 19 March 1915, Page 10

BACTERIOLOGY

» EXTENDING THE SCOPE OF THE WORK. HELPING POORER PATIENTS. During the year ending '3lst December last, 1876 examinations were made for the Wellington .Hospital, reported the Government - Bacteriologist (Mr. J. A. Hurley) at the meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board held yesterday afternoon. These and the examinations ' made for the Government, . for other hospitals, and for medical practitioners, continued the report, amounted to 4500 examinations, which was an increase of 15 per cent on the , number made by the Bacteriological Laboratory during the previous year. Although the amount of work coming in was satisfactory, and the" staff waft kept busy, Mr. Hurley thought there was one direction in which something should be done to increase work. He referred to examinations which might be made for a- class of patients for whom at present very few examinations were made. This class comprised those who were not sufficiently well off to pay ' full fees, and yet would not apply to the board for free examinations. Mr. Huiley recommended that the board iasue to medical practitioners packets of ten tickets for £5, on the understanding that, these tickets were only to be used for this class of patients. Each ticket would pay for an examination that at the present scale would cost more than 10s 6d. A few exceptions, however, would require ,to be made. Two tickets would be required to pay for the preparation of a simple vaccine, or for a cell count of the blood. Certain other examinations of the blood that at present coet £1 10s 6d or £3 3s would require to remain for. the present at these fees. The arrangement would enable this class of patients to have examinations made at nearly the half-fee rate paid by public hospitals for examinations. The board discussed the report in committee, and adopted it.