GREY HOSPITAL BOARD

Grey River Argus, 14 October 1936, Page 3

GREY HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING. At the monthly meeting -of the Grey Hospital Board last evening, there- were presenlt: Messrs J. Qnieaton (chairman), J. Mu lea re. R. MeTaggart. A. Robinson. F. Boostridge, A. Mosley, J. B. Kent. Apologies for absence (were received from Messrs A. 11. McKa.ne, F. L. Turley, and 11. G. Carter. In announcing the apologies, the chairman stated 'that with regard to Mr Turley he had stated that he had b«qn cai'led away on urgent business to attend a deputation to the M n’ster of Labour at Wellington. All members were aware of the position that if Air Turley was not granted leave of absence for this meeting, his position as -a. board member lapsed, it being the fourth S’jecessi've .occasion on wlrch he Ind b<??n absent. If Mr Tur'ey was no.t sufficien'tly interested - n his work on behalf of the board he would not agree to leave of absence bcl'iig granted, but, due :■> Mr Turley being interested in unions which -occupied a lot of t’me. he thought that leave <of absence should be granttMAir Mosley said that Air Turley had fully intended to be present, but he had been called to Wi/l'ington urgently. It was therert’ore unexpected. Hseconded the chairman's resolution that leave of absence be granted. Mr Boustr'dgc asked if leave of ab-sim-ce was granted now. could Mr Tur ley miss another four meetings? The chairman said that he would be placed on s’ide by the motion. Leave of absence was granted.

The! BuFer Hospital Board wrote conveying its' thanks fo* - assistance rendered by the Grey Board dut'.ng Dr. Foote’s il’lness.

Regarding hospital inspection, the Alad-cal Superintendent and Matron advised adoption of suggestions madbv the Health Department. Their action was approved. The Afedical Supeffnlcndmit.’s report proposing rthat the) porter’s cottage be used as temporary isolation, was adopted. The Hosp'tal Committee recommended that the secretary proeu'-e- from other hospitals part'culars as Io what meat’s and morning and af tern one teas are supnl'ed free of charge to the various staffs. Thu neeommendatiem was adopted. Accounts amounting to £1353 8s 6d were passed for payment, and accounts pai'd totalling £1737 Ss Sd were ratified. DEPARTMENTAL REPORTS. The following departmental reports were adopted: ’ Medical Superintend ent. —Patients in at beginning of month, hosip'tal 53 males, 38 iemales Old people’s Home 38 males, 5 fe-ma'-es; admittikl during month 65. 39 —O,. I); discharged dun ng month 6'l 43 —1,0; died during month 1. 3 —o, 0; remaining an end of month 57. 31 —37, 5. Operating Theatre. —General 53 ( . gynaecological 8, orthopaedic 7 oar, eye, nose) throat 9. dental 4: toDil 81. Phys'o-Therapy Department. — In-patients'26J. out-pa’t ; ent s 120 ultra violet ray 11; total 397. Radiological Denantment. —In-patients 80, outpatients 14; total 94. No. of. films used .129, No. of exposure)- made 156 B a Citie, riolog i e a 1 Department. —I n- p a ti.e.nts 125, out-patienits It. other institutions 14,. miscellaneous 18; tota 1 171.

Rewa Hospital: Admkssio-ns 19; dis charges. 24; births 18; remaining in patients 7. infants 5. The Hospital CommittOe reported nfollows: Arising out of the Matron’s report, the board des'ir.es to express thanks to the fol’owing: Al.’s* Al. C Cullen for gifts of plants; Arehdea con Jermyn and Air Wilson for lee ture with moving pictures; Alisses Craig. Mtvtai. for gift of Howers; Mr and Airs Mack and family for g ft of a wheel chair; Runanga Bowh’ng Club for a card party at the Old Peop'e’s Home; the proprietors Regent Theatre for free seats at, a- matinee.; Airs (Dr.) Meade for transport; and 3ZR for c request, programme on the occasion of the 101st birthday of Andrea Bara tich.

The following Finance Commit ten recommendations were adopted: That all lodges: be informed that the board will recommend extensions of the agreemen'ts to thq 31st March. 1937. so a.s to fix a uniform date for tlr> renewal of al'l agreements in the fu lure; and that a sub-commit tee consisting of the chairman and ADHsr.AlcTaggart. and Alu’eare invite delegates from all Medical Association, to an early meeting at which the tu ’Hire pol’cv of agreements for hasp’ t:i-l trantmenlf shall be discussed, th<’ bub-committee to report at the iiex' meeting of the board. The ’ secretary, Local Government Imans Board, wiiote advising that ap plication for sanction to 'the raising of a further loan of £lOOO will be put before the Loans Board at its first meeting, the Loans Board lie ng reoue<ted 4o treat this application as lining the balance of the loan foi which authority has already been g : v en.--The action- of the secretary in dealing with the matter along these I’nes was approved. The secretary’s act on tn refusing to acknowledge atny liability on behalf of the board in claim for compon ‘at’-on was approved. Regarding the agitation for a bar bon’’ at Point Elizabeth. Air -1 O’Brien and Hon. P. C. AV ebb adv'sed that 'tin’s proposal had their whole hearted support, and that efforts would l-e made to have a. further inspection rm.de bv the officers of the! Pub'i" Works Department.

Messrs Kent and Mulearo were np pointed v’si'ing members for the mouth of October. If was agreed that refunds to old :ige iioiriioners as from November 1 be increased to £1 per r-al’endai month. ABUSE OF TICKETS. Mr Mosliey said there was an abuse of tleknts left for visitors to patients During the past month. there, had been two glaring example* of visitors coining and find ; ng that the two tick.As for one patient were mussing, and 'that nobody had be<tn to see the paif ent concerned.. Apparently when tickets were not there for persons whom it was des'red to visit; tickets fo» other patients were obtained by people who had no intention of visiting such patients. A widow went to see her daughter, and 'waited for two hours,, final p v going in w'thout a ticket, to find that nobody had vrn’ted her daughter. Whilst it was difficult f;or the board to have a chock on th'" sori of thing, a. waning shou'd be issued that people caught doii'2 ’I were Fable to be refused the privilege V'siting th<y hosp'tal at all. .It was a shame when people wire lying there waiting to sec thetir relatives and

c-ould not do so, by reason of the privileges being stolen, oiio m'gl. saj-.

Air Kent su'd that, surely, it could not be that the lady referred to was waiting two hours to gain admiss.on. The chairman sa'id that was the position. People had to wait for the ticket. Air Kent: I have newer had to wait outside.

The chairman said that possibly Air Kent had not had to wait. He wa s : board member; but,, otherwise, if he -had a daughter in the institut'on, foi instance, under ordinary circumstance,s, the position ;would be that the portei would bo g;otng past his duty if ho allowed Air Kent in and the two tickets were inf'ide.

Air Kunf said that if t-aat was the position, the whole system would Lave to be altered. There was something wrong with the system. The chairman remarked ‘hat. this was tin', same system as that in use at the Wellington Hospital, ami he himself had had to wait two hours also, because some of tin, visitors did the same thing there. The 'Secretary stated that a ring wa-s often put through to the ward at the request of a visitor for one of rue ficket-hplders to come out. '.i thev had beeyi in there for some time

. Mr Boastridgc said that the proper course for visitors was Io approach the porter, asking when the ticket would be a.vaij'alile. It mas. perhaps, unfortunate in 111' - : ca'ie in-Hauccd that the lady made- no appl eation 1 the porter, who woui’d have no right to inquire her business. Air Mosley .stated that the lady re•ferred to was a vary quiet type, and peihaps-did not realise the position as regarded making a private inqu iv with the result that she put up with the position as- she found it. The chairman said that no d-ou.bt : warning through the- press woiihl mec the case, jivhilst the porters, wher they knew dekets were in demand con'd g ve assistance. Mr Alos-cy said that the porte.r could be of a-w.stanee in enlightenin' the board as regarded some of those who visited the iust'tution.

Air Boust.i'l-dge sa;’d that provisioi could be made for a check-up periodically. the porters going around th' wards to- -sw that th.e ticket-holdeiv-visit’ng inmates were entitled to them