HOSPITAL BOARDS

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 61, 15 March 1929, Page 10

HOSPITAL BOARDS

STAFFING PROBLEMS

TRAINING OF NURSES

(By, Telegraph.—Press Association.) PALMERSTON N., This Day.

The Hospital Boards' Conference was concluded yesterday, when additional remits were carried.

The Hokianga Board moved that a number of nurseß should bo specially trained annually for the administering of anaesthetics. It was pointed out that the small boards experienced a great inconvenience in the matter of having anaesthetics administered unless they employed a house surgeon.

I Tho chairman,thought that the matter should be referred to the executive to take up with the Department. It was generally recognised ' that the administering of anaesthetics should bo in the hands of competent persons, and he still had vivid recollections"" of the unfortunate occurrence at Hamilton when Mr. Victor Bonney, the eminent British surgeon, was operating. The patient passed away under the anaesthetic, although an experienced anaesthetist was present. The chairman's action was agreed to. The Hokianga Board considered that the leaving of isolated country hospitals in the charge of young and inexperienced doctors should, if possible, bo avoided by having specially trained men to take charge of the various institutions: in rotation when the medical superintendents were on annual leave, with a commensurate fixed salary to be apportioned amongst the respective hospital groups. . ■ DOCTOR'S APPEAL. Dr. Wilson (Hawkes Bay) also appealed to the conference to do somothing in the nature-of a request. The question involved the matter of proper staffing of hospitals, as raised by the deputation 1 from the Collegi of Surgeons at the previous session. The hospital boards had a definite duty aa regards post-graduate courses for medical men outside the hospitals. For the sake of the health of the community, he hoped that the conference would instruct the executive-to spend some timo in evolving a scheme, and when that was done New Zealand would have, the finest hospital system in the world.

The chairman thought that the question was really one for co-operation botween the larger and smaller boards. However, the executive would only be too pleased to give what assistance it could.

Mr. Coleman (Gisborne) .thought; that the Department should do something to help the boards who found themselves in a position such as the Hokianga Board had found itself in. The matter was referred to the executive to confer with the medical association. The Taranaki Board, through, the Rev. Mr. Gosnell, urged that tho department be asked to rebate the petrol tax on benzine used by the ibspital; boards. Farmers, ho said, . were given rebates, and as the work of the boards was of a humanitarian nature any rebates floating' around should be secured. PAYMENT FOE PRISONEES. Tho North Canterbury Board urged that application be made to the Government that perrons who have depend- ] ents and who are serving a term of imprisonment should receivo remuneration for their work after two months, instead of threo months as at present. The wives and families of many prison^ era were left without any means, and it was only after three months had elapsed that small monetary recognition was made for the work done by the prisoner. Mr. Petlierick (Wellington) stated that it had been suggested that the term should be further reduced to one month. The Department had offered to increase the amount of the pay, but had declined ;to reduce the period. However, that was not much use to the boards. He would like to see the conference ask for one month, and keep at it until the Department saw eye to eye with the boards. The remit was amended as suggested by Mr. Petherick, and carried. . , - ELECTION OF OFFICitiES. The election of officers resulted: President, Mr. William Wallace (Auckland); vice-presidents, Messrs. W. E. D. Knight (Duucdin), GV M. Luke (Wellington), ,H. 3. Otley (Christchurch); executive committee, Messrs. P. Gillanders (Hawera), J. Math'eson (Invercargill), J. H. M'Carroll (Dargaville), Hon. W. H. M'lntyro (Buller), and Rev. R B. Gosnell (Taranaki). " Mr. A. V. Keisenberg was reappointed secretary, and Mr. G. F. Judd auditor. '■'",■■