MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT.

Grey River Argus, 13 December 1918, Page 4

MEDICAL SUPERINTENDENTS REPORT.

"At tliia meeting the Hoard will be '.. called upon to discuss and decide many matters in connection with the recent influenza epidemic, and 1 therefore deem it a fitting opportunity to put before you a short report so far as ,it affected the Grey River Hospital and auxiliary hospitals, and at the same time express my unbounded appreciation of the self-sacrifice and devotion of their staffs until either infected with the disease or exhausted from over-work. "Never before have stalls or hospitals in this Dominion been called upon to pass through such distressing and harrowing weeks as those five just gone by. *: . "The epidemic, although present in Greymouth in a mild form prior to the demonstrations in connection with the signing of the armistice, was unj doubtedly spread by these gatherings, I and complications contracted by want of precautions and utter disregrd or advice on the part of those recently recovered frequently ending fatally to themselves; together with the return of visitors from the Christchurch races enormously assisted in the spread of a very virulent and fatal disease. "By the 14th November, every available bed in the permanent institution was occupied j in fact, the building was over-crowded. It became apparent with the increasing demand for.accommodation and the fast depletion or staff, through infection that temporary hospitals would have to be established and volunteer assistance sought.

"At this juncture the whole organisation of the permanent Hospital through want of .staff and overwork of the remaining few almost broke down, and it was only by the timely j>ssist:ince of willing helpers who knowing fully the risk, yet with Undaunted courage came at ai moment's notice and enabled us "to carry nn."

"On the ,15th November the Technical School, with accommodation for tv,<?lre patients, and the next day the St. Cohimba rooms with 30 .bed's, were oppn^d as temporary hospitals. "With the use of these buildings all

cases of which accommodation was asked was supplied, and with the gradual decline of the epidemic no i'urther buildings were necessary, although at one time the need Of a convalescent home was felt, but fortunately with the falling off of cases this establishment was able to be done without. . |

"In my other reports the total number of admittances is given, and in tlie case of the town hospitals nearly all were serious cases with complications of one or other type, demanding attention and careful nursing, and 1 have nothing but praise for those devoted men and women who have so ( willingly given their time and labour and in many instances their uealtli to the nursing of these highly infectious cases. "The list of helpers is too long to be included in this report, but 1 wisli all to know how much their efforts have been appreciated, including those of the domestic staffs, whose work "has been mainly one continuous round of washing dishes, etc. "Finally, I wish to thank Matron Kitto ,Mrs Pickering, Mrs Denton, Mr Fletcher, and Mr Jacobs, whose positions entailed responsibility as well as labour, and all those who so materially assisted, and without whose help, organisation and control of this disastrous epidemic could have been carried out."