ONE-BED ROOMS

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXII, Issue 21619, 23 January 1945, Page 2

ONE-BED ROOMS

MATERNITY BOOKINGS ISSUE RE4MSCUS3ED CONFERENCE ACCEPTED The provision of private rooms for maternity patients,-by permitting the booking of rooms at Lister Hospital, was the subject of a letter received by the Cook Hospital Board yesterday from the president of the East Coast branch of the. British Medical Association, Dr. Nina Muir. ■ The board approved a reply, pointing out that the board had already fixed its policy in relation to Lister Hospital, and that Lister Hospital will fake only the overflow from the maternity annex at the Cook Hospital. The secretary, Mr. C. A. Harries, reported that bookings for January totalled 19, those for February 25, and for March 29. The prospect was that at times there would be no patientsin Lister and that for the board to maintain a maternity staff there would be an unjustifiable expense for at least part of the year. | 1 The chairman, Mr. M. T. Trafford,jommented that it would not be possible at this stage to change the present policy of the board. Mr. H. H. Barker argued that there would be a demand for private rooms from patients who could afford to pay a higher tariff. There would always he the question of deciding who, among the patients offering, should have the advantages of accommodation in Lister Hospital. Mrs. E. R. Scott strongly Urged that there should be no differentiation in the treatment of normal cases, and pointed out that there was already provision for special care for those whose, condition demanded it. Mr. s E. R. Black maintained that there were individual cases which' required special accommodation, and that medical practitioners should be given an opportunity to place their views before the board in this matter. The differentiation should not be on the basis of the capacity to pay, .but purely on the needs of the patients.

Reconsideration of Policy

Mrs. Ada -E. Beer offered to give notice off motion, to reconsider the policy of the board .as already stated. She agreed that the fee should not be taken into account. .. .

Mrs. Scott feared that the question of fees would creep into the allocation of cases.

Mr. H. J. F. Tombleson said that, this discussion merely opened up a subject that must Be . dealt , with,- again/ The board had a recommendation from the Department of Health that it should provide a new maternity hospital of 20 single-room beds. •If the board went ahead with that proposal, it would perpetuate the whole argument as to who would have •ingle rooms and who would go into the other Mr. J. D. Williams urged that the :oard should consider maintaining the right which people had -before -the ooard took over Lister'Hospital—that : of securing a single room if they desired it. V .v

After further discussion, Mr. Black noved that the chairman and secretary, with the medical superintendent, sonfer with the private medical practitioners with regard to the aUqcafcion of cases. Mr. ‘Barker, seconded the motion. f . . ... " ; The chairman held that the medical superintendent had the right to ..send to Lister any ease especially requiring single-room- treatment. He agreed with Mr. Barker that the board's previous decision laid it down thiat' :he bookings be taken in ehronoloflcal order, and that Lister should receive only those cases which . could not be accommodated at the Cook maternity .ariije)c. Nevertheless, the. medical superintendent could certainly use ;iiis discretion in specialcases. He was. of opinion that thepractitioners would wish Lister to be' kept full, since it was much more convenient for them to visit patients' there.

The motion was carried, Mrs. Scott and Messrs. J. H. Hall and G. D. Myirhead opposing it. %