GREY HOSPITAL BOARD

Grey River Argus, 11 August 1937, Page 2

GREY HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING HELD. | At the monthly meeting of the Grey i Hospital Board last evening-, there I were present: Messrs J. Smeaton (chairman), J. Kyle, A. Robinson, A. I-I. McKahe, R. McTaggart, and A. Mosley. Apologies for absence were received from Messrs 11. G. Carter and J. Mui care. The chairman asked the managingsecretary, Mr J. E. A. McKeefrey, if he had supplied all reports in connection with the institution to the press. Mr McKeefrey replied in the affirmative, stating that all reports available had been put on the press table. The chairman stated that an important step decided upon by the board was the provision of housing for the staff. By doing this, it was hoped that a much better state of affairs would exist. They all knew the position in Greymouth at the present time, and it was the opinion of the board that it was not good policy to pay house allowances. By providing their own houses, it meant that the board had an asset. This proposal was made by Mr McTaggart when he was chairman of the board. Mr Mosley thought that the move on the part of Mr McTaggart was to be commended in this respect. Mr McKane said he wished to refer to'-a somewhat morbid question, and that was in relation to the town morgue. In Waihi, he said, there had been a dispute between the municipal authorities regarding the use of the hospital morgue. The town morgue here was stuck away down behind Boundary Street, where the Power Board desired to erect a substation, and he had been given to understand that this site would be most suitable for it. What was wanted was an assurance that the hospital morgue be made available for other than hospital purposes, which was' very rare. The chairman said that he could see no reason why the hospital morgue could be permitted to be used for those cases outside the hospital, and he did not see any necessity for having one down where it was. ,It had been used about once in two years. Mr McKane said that the Counci’ and many people were of the opinion that it was not the right place for a morgue. Mr McKane moved that, subject to the approval of the Medical Superintendent, the board offer no objection to the hospital morgue being used as a public morgue. The motion was seconded by Mr McTaggart and carried. Mr Kent said that the matter was urgent so far as the Power Board was The Borough Council was in accord with the proposal to do away with the present public morgue, and it remained for the Hospital Board to state whether it had any objection to the using of its morgue for public purposes. REPORTS. The following departmental reports were adopted:— Medical Superintendent: Patients in at beginning of month: Hospital, males 66, females 32; Old People’s Home, males 37, females 4. Admitted during the month: Hospital 69—51; O.P.H. 9—o. Discharged: Hospital 71 —5l; O.P.H. 6—o. Died during month: Hospital s—o; O.P.H. o—o. Remaining at end of month: Hospital 59—32: O.P.H. 39—4. Operating Theatre: Operations, general 42, orthopaedic 10, dental 3, E.E.N.T. 14. Radiological Department: In-pa-tients 63, out-patients 28, films used 134, exposures 150, screenings 3. Bacteriological Department: Hospital examinations 24, out-patients 30, other hospitals 10, miscellaneous 33; total 318. Physiotherapy Department: No. of in-patients treated 692, No. of outpatients 132, Ultra-Violet Ray nil. Matron, Rewa Hospital: Patients admitted 24, births 24, patients discharged 21, patients remaining 12. The Visiting Committee’s report of its meeting on Friday, August 6, was adopted, recommending that in connection with the building operations the* contractor be written to stating that in the board’s opinion the work is not proceeding with sufficient despatch; that a bath already in stock be erected in a suitable position al the Isolation Shelter; that the Direc-tor-General of Health be informed that the matter of further advice from a specialist regarding infantile paralysis had been left in the hands of the Medical Superintendent to obtain if and when it was considered, in his opinion, necessary; and that Dr Douglas M. Logan be appointed Resi dent Physician, the secretary to ob tain Ministerial approval for the ap pointment in terms of Sec. 38 of the Act. Regarding Medical Associations, the committee felt that, having stal ed its case regarding the admission of unsuitable patients, no further discus sion was necessary. The Finance Committee report rc commended, on the motion of Messrs Kent and Kyle, that the net expenditure of the board, after deducting therefrom the amount estimated by the Minister of Finance as the amount to be received by the board from the Consolidated Fund by way of subsidy in respect of the contributions of local authorities, shall be apportioned by the board among the contributorv , local authorities within the district, in proportion to the capital value of the rateable property in each contributory district, as constituted on the first day of April, 1937, as determined by the Valuer General, as being apportionately correct on the 31st day of December, 1936, the apportionment to be as follows: Grey Borough Council £6112 8s 2d, Cobden £750 17s sd, Grey County £3323 6s 2d, Brunner £BBO 8s 2d, Runanga Borough Council £396 12s lOd; these amounts to be collected one-third, on August 30, onesixth on December 15, November 15, 1937, January 15, and March 1, 1938. The committee further reported that the secretary, Grey Workers’ Medical Association, submitted several requests in connection with their agreement, and it was recommended that these be dealt with as follows: The Association to be informed: (1) That in the board’s opinion any workers injured should be immediately transported to the hospital. This will save considerable time and extra handling of cases; (2) that o'wjng to the present scarcity of doctors, the request for a special visiting hour cannot be entertained at the present time, but the matter will be reviewed at a later date if the board’s intention to appoint a third doctor can be carried out; (3) that a pass for the secretary Of the Association to visit members in hospital during the usual visiting

hours be issued; (4) that the supply of medicine can only be made on the hospital doctors’ prescriptions. It was recommended that the board approve of the principle of erecting dwellings for members of its staff, and that the Visiting Committee for the month of August be appointed with the secretary to go into the matter with the Director of Housing, and the State Advances thf t Mr A. Mosley be appointed as the board’s representative on the Karoro Bowling Club Committee; that particulars of the case of Miss M. I. Rountree be forwarded to the Director-General of Health with a recommendation that the grant previously made in February, 1936, as compensation, be given Ministerigl consent. It was also reported that discussion of a notice of motion to increase the present salary of the medical officers by £lOO in each case, was taken in committee, and the increases are recommended for the board's approval; that a motion to raise £lO,OOO by the granting of debentures to the State was carried, and the accompanying documents approved, subject to an alteration in the draft debenture, expressing the amounts of each debenture as being payable at any branch of the Bank of New Zealand in the Dominion; that Messrs J. Smeaton and A. Robinson were appointed visiting members for the month of August; th'at the annual report of the Canterbury and Westland branch of the Crippled Children’s Society for the year ending March 31, 1937, be filed for future reference; that the receipt from the Director-General of Ministerial consent for the extension of an overdraft authority for an amount not exceeding £6,000 to September 30 be acknowledged. The report was adopted as a whole It was reported that the board de sired to thank the following for donations; For Old People’s Home, Presbyterian women, afternoon tea' cakes from Carrying Co.; Wallsend Concert Party; Ikamatua residents, card party; Mrs G. W. Meade, for entertaining some of the old people at the pictures. Hospital, patients in Vic toria Ward, who are collecting to buy a wireless set for the ward; Mrs Con nors, for gift of old linen; gifts of clothes from the relatives of Mrs Hope; Women’s Institute, for undertaking knitting and sewing both for hospital and Old People’s Home; Mr A. J. McDowall and R. Bowman, for books and magazines. Nurses’ Home Mr J. Tennent for a silver cup for the nurses’ table tennis. The Matron reported regarding the Hospital Ball on July 27 at Schaef r Hall, as follows: “The proceeds aftcc expenses were cleared are approx: mately £4O. These, at the recommen dation of your chairman, are to b< used to assist with the equipment o the Nurses’ Home. In connection wit! this, I wish to thank the members o’ the committee and their friends wh< were indefatiguable in their help; M Schaef, for the Use of the hall; Mess, G. Batty and W. McGrath, who act?' as M’s.C.; members of the Railwa, Ball Committee, who assisted wit’ decorations, and also at the ball; fo goods, Messrs Baillie and Neville, J Hassall, Boucher and Co., Percy K Wah, Bowes, M. McDonnell, Eldm Coates, McLean’s Ltd., Griffen am’ Smith, J. Anisy, Herb. Moore, Hark er’s, Rathbun, Arthur, E. Anglese*. and also many other ladies anr gentlemen, too numerous to mention who gave plates and subscriptions and assisted in other practical ways.”