URGENT NEED

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 122, 19 November 1937, Page 10

URGENT NEED

HOSPITAL SCHEME

"ALARMING CONDITIONS"

MINISTER'S VIEW

The recent . diphtheria outbreak nt Wellington Public Hospital. was mentioned by the .Minister of Health (the Hon. P. Fraser) in the course of an interview today with a "Post" reporter, in which he emphasised the urgent necessity of proceeding with the hospital extension scheme to relieve the present serious overcrowding.

"While not wishing as Minister of Health to express my individual opinion upon the merits of the Wellington Hospital scheme other than lo say that the scheme has the full support of the Health Department, after it was subjected to the closest scrutiny in relation to the requirements of the hospital district by responsible departmental officers, I consider it is my duty to draw attention to the alarming conditions, of which there is ample and regrettable evidence, prevailing at present due to overcrowding in both the hospital wards and the nurses' home," said the Minister.

. "I have recently had a report sent to me by the Director-General of Healtß (Dr. M. H Watt), which has deepened the alarm I had previously felt in regard to the situation," the Minister added. "I feel it is incumbent upon me in the public interest to make the facts known so that if possible the work of providing sufficient accommodation for both patients and nurses should be expedited and no further time wasted in what appears to be futile controversy." . .

The. report referred to. was . submitted to Dr. Watt on November 9 by Dr. F, S. Maclean, Medical Officer of Health. The following are extracts from the report:—

"The last instance of infection among the patients . was discovered more than three weeks ago, and among nurses two weeks ago, so that the outbreak may be considered to be now at an end.

"No patients other than inmates of one or other of the children's wards haVe been infected, and all the nurses concerned, with'one exception, were nursing either in the Fever Hospital or in the children's; wards.

"I visited the wards in question and am of opinion that the spread of infection was greatly assisted by the grossly overcrowded condition of the wards combined with understaffing and general lack of facilities for a high standard of nursing technique. With the greatest care infection will sometimes gain entrance to a ward, and given the existing conditions of overcrowding it will be very difficult to eradicate.

"In addition to the overcrowding of the wards themselves is interfered with by the existence of beds on the balconies which have been enclosed. This again favours the spread of infection: , "I also visited the Nurses' Home and found conditions of overcrowding to exist there also. Numerous rooms which are designed for one occupant only are occupied by two nurses. The bathroom and washing accommodation is very inadequate and the diningroom is far too small for the number of nurses to be catered for. Here again conditions are very favourable for the spread of respiratory infection.

"I am of opinion that the length of time taken to get rid of the infection (four months) can be explained by the overcrowded condition of the children's wards and the Nurses' Home, and that it is not necessary to presume the existence of an undiscovered focus of infection. Under- more favourable conditions as regards bed-space and staffing of the ward the outbreak would in all probability have terminated rapidly."