HOSPITAL BOARD

Evening Star, Issue 17311, 26 March 1920, Page 3

HOSPITAL BOARD

The monthly meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board was held last ovoning, and attended by Mr W. K S. Knight (chairman), Mrs Gordon, Mrs Macfie, Messrs W. T". Talboys, .D. Larnach. J.- W. Dove, ,7, Cumming, A. ,F. Quelch, and Dr Newlands. ''The Department of Public Health, •Hospitals, and Charitable Aid wrote that ■thoy were taking over the administration of epidemic pensions as from the Ist of April next;— Received. - Dr Bamett ..wrote that !he had received from a "grateful private patient," who was successfully itreated by radium, a donation of .£IOO, which he (the writer) intended handing to the board. . He wished the sum to carry a Government subsidy, and yet at the same time he would like to recommend to the board that the money be expended in additions or improvements to the radium and X-ray departments of the . Hospital.—Referred to the Hospital Committee to report. Messrs Panckhurst and Paul, of Westport, wrote that under the will of the late Mr James Powell tho .board had a quarter share in the residuary estate, valued approximately at £50,000. Certain matters in regard to the interests of the widow in the estate were men'tioned by the writers, and it was agreed that they be referred to the Finance Committee to act. The Department of Public Health for'warded the consent of the Minister of Public Health to the purchase of th'*» properties at Wakari from Mrs Ain<ro and Mrs_ Wedge for the erection thereon of a building for the treatment of infectious diseases. The letter set out that the Minister consented to the purchase 'of part sections 4 and 5. containing 5 acres 30.1 perches, from Mrs Ainge for the sum of £2.750, and of part sections 3 and 4, containing 2 roods 7.6 perches, from Mrs Wedse for the sum of £1.300. —Referred to the Finance Committee'to act. Mr M. Cohen 'wrote thanking the board for associating- the names of his family with the Children's Convalescent Home. He was also delighted to knowthat the board had agreed to name tiie institntion after His 1 Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, and he suggested that it be nrranged that while "His Royal Highness was in Dunedin that he should ' visit the home, in which event it might please him to permit the additional title of "Royal." following th» precedent in Australia during his father's visit there. —The secretary (Mr Jacobs) mentioned that he had written" to the Mayor on the lines of Mr Cohen's suggestion*.—The letter was then received. Mr M. Cohen wrote forwarding a -cheque for £SOO towards the funds of ilic board, and giving a list of subscribers per medium of the ' Evening Star' and collected by himself in Australia anu elsewhere.—Received with thanks. The Clerk of the Clutha Council wrote that he had been instructed to protest against the way in which the inquiry by Drs Frengley and Wylie into the hospital needs of South Otago was carried out. — Referred to the Inspector-General. The Town Clerk of Port Chalm«rs wrote_ that he had been directed by his I council and the Cottage Hospital 'Committee to bring under the board's notice | ilia necessity for an additional ward for women, and also for a mortuary ward in the cottage 'hospital.— Referred to the Finance Committee to report. The Roxburgh Cottage Hospital Com rnttee-, writing as to tho £1,500 to be found before building operations could bo commenced, said that it was more than could be raised in the district. Thev were prepared to subscribe £BOO, including the sum already in the hands of tin board in connection with the ambulance fund.—Referred to the Finance Committee to report. The Finance Committee recommended that, subject to the approval of the Minister, Mrs J; Henderson, . owner of the land on which it is suggested the Owaka Hospital be erected, be advised that without prejudice the boai'd were prepared to purchase the whole area, containing 10. acres 3 roods 29 poles, at the original price offered, £750, otherwise the necessary steps will be taker! to acquire it, under the Public Works Act; that .the tender of Mr'J. Hamilton for erection of additions and isolation block at Tapanui Hospital bo declined, and the Tapanui Hospital Committee advised accordingly ; further, that the architects he authorised to endeavor to arrange for the erection of buildings and report to the board.- Messrs Scurr and Cn. having inthat Mrs Aincce still agrees to sell her property at Wakari at the pre- j vions price offered, but that Mrs Wedge I had withdrawn her property from their agency, and that she now required £2,000 as purchase money, Mrs to be informed (without prejudice) that if tho board could not acquire the property for £1,300 as previously offered, steps would be taken, subject to the approval of the Minister, to aconire the property under the Public Works Act. The intimation of Mr Fraser M'Kenzie that Mr Colin Macandrew's prc-pertv would- shortly be put on the market for sale, and suggestion to purchase for use as a convalescent homo had been de-' clined.

Mr Quelch (chairman of the Finance Committee), in moving the adoption of the report, said : " You will observe it is estimated that £9O,CCO will be required for the coming year. Of this amount the contributing bodies will be asked to provide £48,283 17s lOd and the Government £41.716 2s 2d. This is an increase of 50 per cent. on the levy made last year, and, to be quite candid, I am of opinion that even this sum will not be sufficient. The reason,for this large increase in expenditure is well known to every member. During the year lists have been prepared showing the nrices ruling for nearlv evcr Y hne which has to be purchased by the board. Higher salaries have had to be paid to the staff, and all contracts for supplies had to be renewed at amounts very much in excess of what was paid formerly. This year provision is made for maintenance of two new institutions—viz, Prince Edward Children's Convalescent Home and Wakari Hospital: the sum of £5,800 being set down for the purpose. Repairs and improvements to the board's properties throughout the district have cost very much more than was anticipated, but only such work as was absolutely necessary was carried out. "Dunedin Hospital.—ln four years the cost of this institution has doubled. The present expenditure for maintenance is roughly £I,OOO per week, while the revenue from all. sources can be put at 20 par cent, of that amount. The usual gra , nte to the 0ta SO University (£4OO for dental work, £650 for bacterio*oglv*l works > and £2s ° to St. John Ambulance Association) are included in tho estimates. The board contemplate Installing a new boiler plant, and provision for this is made under capital exThe present heating system .it the Hospital is costly and antiquated, over 2,500 tons of coal are consumed annually. It is expected- when the new boilers are m working order a great saving In this respect will be effected The maximum fee of 5a per diem for maintenance, payable by oatiente in a position to do^.o .'Produces,£9l per annum for each occupied bed, wmle the, cost per bed now V £ V6r f 16 °- To those a °l* to pay a higher charge -should be made, but the vm thus obtained will not be as only a very small proportion of patients ;eould pay full fees. ■ ' e b *J!i B f2 Vol6llfc Institution—The price of foodstuffs was chiefly responsible for last T^ a ™™n te heh % exceeded by £1,500 while £2,000 more than the amount alwT^m 8 ??P mded . out-door relief. *; r i B f dl %'? Ifc t, 0 . female the sum oarv for this relief, but as it is not likely to be less than last year a corresponding amount has been . allowed. It is not generally known that the board haveMo pay for tho maintenance of indigent children; of the district committed to inaustrial schools and homes, and £4 000 is included for this purpose. H ?*pital.-Th« building, vhich will.be completed shortly (together with nurses' home, furnishings, and equip?«Avi™" 5 : -i be t" 1 ' down at a cost ° f ±.oo,UKJ, wrule the maintenance for .the next- 12 months i« assessed at £5,000 Fifty-four beds v/il! be available for the •ccpmmodatiou -.of.'chronic- consumptives.

The unfortunate patients, -who hare beem in the shelters t at. -Dunedin Hospital, should then all be comfortably housed. "Pleasant Valley Sanatorium.—The capital cost of this institution to date is roughly £II,OOO. For the current year it is computed that £5,380 will bo necessary for maintenance. "Regarding the treatment and prevention of spread of tuberculosis as undertaken by this board, personally I cannot help thinking that better results should be attained, considering the large expenditure involved. The beard and their medical director aro endeavoring to do what is possible for patients suffering from tuberculosis, but their efforts are to a great extent: nullified under existing conditions. At Wakari the majority of patients are chronics, and very little can be done for thorn further than make their lives pleasant and bright, as circumstances will permit. Patients admitted to Pleasant Valley Sanatorium for, treatment, are supposed to have a fair chance of recovery. According to the medical director's report to this board, dated 25th June, 1919, there were, for the year ended 31st March, 1919, discharged 112 patients, classified on discharge as follows:—Apparently cured 5, disease arrested 40, improved 46, unimproved 15, died 6. At the out-patients' department of Dunedin Hospital the attendances were: New patients 263, old patients 882 (total, 1,145); while the tuberculosis nurse paid 643 visits outside Dunedin area. The Public Health report for the samo period states : ' Otago—During 1918 220 cases of tubercubsis have been notified, showing a decrease of 107 as compared with 1917. The position with regard to this disease is satisfactory, there being a marked dcciease in the incidence.' At present only Hospital patients' and a comparatively small number of outsiders avail themselves of Dr Lyth's opinion arid advice. If consumption is to be prevented or checked, everyone, rich or poor, must be treated alike. The disease should not only bo notified, but it should be compulsory for all persons affected to be examined by an expert and obliged to carrv out his instructions as far as possible. (Hear, hear.) Incipient cases would then have a good prospect of being cured, and what is most important to the community is that the patient would be educated so as not to become a danger to others. No doubffairly drastic legislation, applicable to all_ the Dominion, would be necessary to enforce strict compliance on the part of both medical practitioner and patient, but I am satisfied if something of .this nature was put into operation the spread of the infection would be appreciably curtailed. Using a sieve to carry water instead of a bucket might, be "taken as a comparison between the present imperfect system and what might be done under more exacting regulations. " Country Hospitals, Fever Hospital, Maternity Hospital—A larger sum in" each case has been allowed for maintenance, owing to increased cost of necessary supplies. Fov the payment of salaries and travelling expenses of the inspectors uncle the Health Department £I,OOO is provided". "Capital . Expenditure.—The amounts sot out are mostly for the erection of new buildings or additions to existing buildings. The cost of erecting and equipping proposed country hospitals not provided tor hi the estimates will have to be met by loans on mortgage or temporary advance from bank. The sum of £1.400 has to be found towards payment off the cost of building Alexandra'ward, as arranged with the Defence Department." _ Concluding Mr Quelch said he was sure that every member regretted that it was necessary to make provision for such a large expenditure this year. Local bodies, no doubt,, would be •concerned, but the members of the board were there to carrv out their duties. The expenditure in eouneetmn with the Dunedin Hospital was very high indeed, and if the various institutions were to be carried on in an efficient manner then it must be an expensive business. There was no use of local bodies blaming the board if the efficiency of the institutions was to bo maintained". Mr Talboys seconded the motion. As the Chairman of the Finance Committee had said, they all deplored the state of tilings, but they were unalterable. He thought that in a great many of the matters where the board were criticised the members of contributing bodies failed to recognise the fact that m regard to their own private affairs the Cost of Living had been doubled, and they looked to the board to carry out their costly institutions at the old rate. If they gave the matter any thought at all they would see that the board were doing their best in the present circumstances. The Chairman (Mr Knight) endorsed all that Mr Quelch had said. They were placed in an unfortunate position, owin<r to the excessive cost of everything which the board handled, and prices were still going up. _ They also bad before them applications from a number of their employees for increases in their salaries. It was intended to revise the present scale of salaries, and it seemed to him that they would have to be increased. The principal item of expenditure during the past 12 months had been in connection with the Dunedin Hospital, on which had been expended £43,642 16s lid. The details of the expenditure were, in round figures: Bread, £458; meat, £2,916; fruit and vegetables, £1,554; fish, £122; milk, £1,915; butter, £710; groceries, £1,184; and sundries, £830; making a total of £9,692. Then there was surgery and dispensary, £4,297; wages and salaries, £17,412; miscellaneous, £153; grounds, £ssl'; fuel, £4,091; gas and light, £1,331; repairs, £1,215; painting, £369; renewal of linen, etc., £1,154; hardware, £713; and sundries, £2,859. The nurses salaries for the present month had to be added to the above. The Chairman added that he considered a number of the board's employees were being underpaid. So far as the treatment of tuberculosis was concerned, he predicted some time ago tha.t the cost was going to be- enormous. In the matter of expenditure he considered that local bodies had thown great apathy. They simply giumbled when the levies were made, bi>i did nothing. They had taken no steps themselves to try and alleviate the posi-. tion. He had held for a number of years that the Government subsidy was totally inadequate. In liis opinion the subsidy should, be increased to 30s. That was a matter the local bodies should see to. Some years ago he brought before the Tuapeka County Council the fact that the accommodation for the treatment of con- j sumptives was going to be a big question. ' As pointed out by Mr Quelch, the results i were not satisfactory • not so far as the : treatment was concerned, but so far as the ■ board and the cost were concerned. He '• still held that it was a national question, i and one that should be faced by the Go- ! vernment. He had a motion passed in the ; Tuapeka County Council that every public ' body be circularised in regard to national- ; ising the treatment of tuberculosis. What : was the result? It was practically turned down by every body. Pressure, he maintained, should be brought on the Government _to take ths matter up as a national question, and to provide for the cost out of consolidated revenue. It was too big an order for the ratepayers alone. If public bodies wished to alleviate the position, then they should be up and doing, j What was wanted was united action. ° j The motion for the adoption of the re- j port was then carried. i