HOSPITAL DAY

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 110, 12 May 1930, Page 11

HOSPITAL DAY

PUBLIC CEREMONY

CARE OF THE SICK

The second celebration of National Hospital Day in Wellington took place at tho General Hospital yesterday afternoon. Amongst those present wero the chairman (Mi1. C. M. Luke), and members of tho Hospital Board, the DuputyMayor (Councillor' M. Luckie), the Director-General of Health (Dr. T. 11. A. Valintiue), Dr. T. l\ Corkill (president of the Wellington section of the New Zealand branch of the British Medical Association), Mr. P. Fraser, M.P., Mr. Walter Nash, M.P., Dr. 11. B. Ewen (medical superintendent), Miss J. Bickncll (Director Division Of Nursing, Health Department), Miss A. Cookson (lady superintendent), Mr. K. •Brown (secretary), representatives of the Rod Cross Society, the Order of.1 St. John, the Ladies' Auxiliary, and members of the hospital medical and nursing staffs. ' • ■ . Mr. C. M. Luke said that Hospital Day was now widely celebrated in many countries, including Great Britain, Canada, and the United States, and ttio day chosen for the event was the anniversary of the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the pioneer of modern nursing, and one of the most honoured •of women. Tho General Hospital, he said, was open night and day to the sick and injured of all., classes of the community. ■ Last year 832!) patients were treated in the hospital as in-pa-tients, and the out-patients treated numbered 21,030;) the nursing stall' numbered""3s, the stipendiary medical staff IS, and the honorary staff 33. 'Mr. Luke referred, to the valuable services rendered by the medical and nursing staffs, and to the helpful work done by the Bed Cross Society, the St. John Ambulance, and the ladies' auxiliary. NURSING PROFESSION. Dr. T. F. Corkill,-president of the Wellington section of the New Zealand branch of tho British Medical Association, said it was fitting that for a few moments thej', as a community, should give thought to their hospital and its great humanitarian influence, and think in appreciation of the great service rendered, in our midst by the nursing profession; and what more appropriate occasion could there be for that than on a date as close as possible to tho anniversary of the birth of Florence Nightingale? To the average person of today Florence Nightingale perhaps stood out mainly as the heroic figure of history who. brought order out of chaos in tho nursing treatment of the soldiers in theXCrimea days—who,,by tho wonder-, ful powers of organisation, clear vision, and forceful personality overcame the ignorance and prejudice of her time, and brought hope and health to thousands of sick and wounded. But many were not aware that that was but tho first stop in her life's work, and that she had an even greater claim to everlasting remembrance in her great work in the wider sphere of civilian nursing, to which for the remainder of her life she devoted herself. Fori x Florence Nightingale was indeed tho foundor of the modern skilled nursing profession, and it was in that association particularly that they honoured her name today. COMMUNITY HOSPITALS. Every advanco in medical science had been reflected in nursing practice, until to-day the scope of the nursing service was exceedingly wide, and its responsibilities were very great. To safeguard the standard of nursing and to maintain tho best traditions of the profession,/nurses had organised themselves, and. largely through the' efforts of these organisations great and beneficial changes had taken place in the status of tjje nurse and iv the conditions, under which she carried out her work. New Zealand, said Dr. Corkill, cVild be proud of the leading position that she had taken in these matters. State registration of' nurses, a great safeguard'for nurses and public alike, was first introduced in New Zealand. The period of training was now a minimum of three years, and many of our. nurses who took additional courses spent five years in training. Truly it was an exacting calling, both during the training years, and in the years of practice after. Tho general, hospital of to-day was a most wonderful organisation, and- in many respects it was the centre of tho medical life of the area which it served. We were proud to know that our own hospital had closely followed the modern trends, and to-day bore favourable comparison with general hospitals of other cities and other centres. It appeared certain that the general hospital must more and more come to serve all sections of the community, and so give to all the advantages 'of its vast equipment and special facilities. In this sense our hospitals of the future must surely be community hospitals. Our hospital being such a force, for good in the city, it deserved the interest and sympathetic goodwill of everyone. Sometimes as ratepayers we were inclined to count the cost, but let us remember the great benefits that scientific advances had brought to us. "SPLENDID WORK." Mr. M. Luckie, Deputy Mayor, said that; like the chairman, he could' remember whea the Wellington Hospital consisted of three small wooden wards in Pipitea street, and.the staff consisted of ono resident medical officer and about six nurses. The hospital had developed and kept pace with the growth and progress of the city and suburban districts, and had an efficient medical staff, a qualified nursing staff, and was provided with modern scientific equipment. The hospital was open to patients of all classes; and the smooth working of the institution and splendid service rendered was recognised, but hardly, he was afraid, at their truly great value. ' Mr. Luckie also alluded to the fine services rendered by the medical and nursing staffs; and he paid a tribute to tbo work of Dr. J. Ewart, a former medical superintendent. Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, DirectorGeneral of Health, spoke in terms of high appreciation of the services rendered by the Hospital Board, and the medical and nursing staffs. The speaker mentioned that the late Rev. Mother Mary Aubert was a member of tho nursing staff which accompanied Florence Nightingalo to the Crimea, and assisted in the wonderful hospital work done there. We had an excellent nursing service in this country. Our nurses did splendid-, work during the war—in fact, their work could' hardly be- excelled. Our nurses stood very high in the nursing profession of the Empire. Miss J. Bicknell, Director Division of Nursing, Health Department, then presented the Francis Keith Payne Memorial Modal to Miss J. Iris Martin (daughter of Mr. Leo Martin, M.P.), a member of the nursing staff of the Wellington Hospital, who gained the highest marks in Now Zealand at the State examination for nurses held in June last. In tho course- of the proceedings the hymns "All People that on Earth do Dwell" and "0 God Our Help in Ages Past" were sung; the Rev. 11. E. K. Fry gave a Scripture reading; prayer was offered by the Rev. D. Jones, and the meeting closed with tho singing of the National Anthem.