The Feilding Star. Published Daily. MONDAY, JULY 24, 1893. A Complaint

Feilding Star, Volume XV, Issue 20, 24 July 1893, Page 2

The Feilding Star. Published Daily. MONDAY, JULY 24, 1893. A Complaint

The Wanganui Hospital appears to be one of those peculiar institutions which are governed by ignorance and managed by prejudice. We have nothing to do with the alleged immorality of the stafl' of which the public have heard so much — we leave that to the Wangamii Herald ; but we do clam« to have a right to complain when persons from this district, which has in the past contributed so largely to the maintenance of the said hospital, are treated with a waut of consideration which almost amount* to brutali ity. The cause of our complaint is this : About a week or ten days ago a young woman, whose parents reside near Awahuri, was in such a critical condition that it was deemed advisable she should be sent to the Wanganui Hospital for treatment. Her mother walked to Sandon (a distance of six or seven miles) to obtain the necessary order from the officials in the Road District where she resides, and having obtained the necessary document authorising the admission of her daughter to the Wanganui Hospital, she walked back again with a glad heart. The girl was brought to the Feilding railway station, and, armed with the " prized piece of paper," which was to be the means of putting her in a haven of rest, where she would be carefully looked after and her health restored, went with a hopeful mind to Wanganui. Luckily for the poor girl her mother accompanied her. On arriving at Wanganui they, naturally enough, thought that so far their troubles were over ; but they soon found out that practically they had only bogun. In place of the written authority for admission being an " Open sesame," it appeared to be an obstruction. Before tho poor ' tired girl was admitted she had to undergo an examination by one or more medical men as to her fitness as a patient. Ultimately she wad admitted, but not before three or four hours had elapsed from the time of her arrival in Wanganui — that is to say some minutes after seyen o'clock in the evening. Our readers will agree with us in saying " Lucky her mother was with her." The latter, who is not a young woman as may be imagined, had to " hunt about Wanganui " to obtain these medical inea to examine her daughter, and declare that the girl was " a lit and and proper person " to be admitted. Whether becauso the patient had given this trouble, or for some other reason unknown, the treatment she received was so indifferent that after a week's experiment the mother went up to Wauganui and brought her daughter back "gain, preferring to look after her herself than leave her in the hands of unsympathetic strangers. During the girl's Btay in the hospital she found the food badly cooked and worse served. Now, leaving all sentiment out of the question, we think that we have «v right to get value for our money. We want nothing for winch wu do uot pay. We have a right to expect that patients sent from this district, for whose maintenance the ratepayers have contributed so liberally by means of the Hospital and Charitable Aid subsidy, should be rereceived into the hospital at once on the uuthoriry of the representative of the contributing body, without the interference of any person whatever. If a medical man in the country districts certifies that a patient i» a fit subject to be admitted, that should be sufficient, because no one can know ao j well as him tho whole circumstances surrounding tho case. Any interference on the part of any other medical man amounts to an impertinence. The Wanganui Hospital has had for the post few years a most un savoury reputation and the " powers that be " who are connected with it, appear more inclined to shield and condone tho sins of omission and commission of those under their control than to amend them.