H.B. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IX, Issue 103, 15 April 1919, Page 3

H.B. HOSPITAL AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

ANNUAL REPORT.

At yesterday’s meeting of the above board, the chairman, Mr. W. Shrimpton, submitted the following report:— In laying before you the estimates for the incoming year I will briefly refer to the finance of the past season and the figures below will show you the receipts and expenditure and the financial position as on the 31st March, 1919.

Ordinary Account. —Balance 31/3/19 £3135 4/-, less estimated unpaid accounts £2250; leaving a credit of £BB5 4/-. Building account, debit £1758 10/-. My estimates laid before you last year and the actual results for the year ending 31st March, 1919, were:—Ordinary account — Expenditure: Estimated £31,481 10/11, actual 30,289 7/5, difference (credit) £1,192 3/(5; Receipts: Estimated £31,481 10/11, actual £33,424 11/5, difference (credit) £1913 0/6; total difference (credit) £3135 4/-; deduct unpaid accounts 31/3/19, £2250; net credit £BB5 4/-. Capital Account.—Expenditure (including debit balance 31/3/19 of £3994 18/6): Estimated £8874 18/6, actual £10,663, difference £1758 1/10; receipts: Estimated £8874 18/6, actual £8874 18/6; debit £1758 1/10. COST OF THE EPIDEMIC. I would like briefly to refer to the past epidemic of influenza. A full report of the steps taken by the board to cope with it was laid before you at the end of December, but at that tiiiicT 1 was not in a position to show the cost of dealing with the epidemic in the Hawke’s Bay district, in addition to the amount tor which the State accepts the responsibility considerable charge has been added to our ordinary expenditure in providing for nurses and staff connected with tne hospital who contracted influenza in the discharge of their duties and were for a considerable period unable to carry out their worn. Cost of epidemic in Hawke’s Bay district: Napier emergency hospitals, outside work and relief £5BOB, Hastings racecourse hospital, outside work and relief £7007, Hastings Maori (Drill Hall) hospital £2772; total £15,587. The Napier total includes £696 epidemic widows’ and orphans’ allowances over the whole district to 31st March.

The total paid by the board for which the department has been charged amounts to £6316 15/6, the balance of the accounts having been forwarded direct to the Health Department for payment.

YEAR’S WORK AT THE HOSPITAL. | The table below shows the number of patients treated, etc., in the Napier Hospital during the past year as compared with the previous year:—Total number of patients treated, 1918-19 1500, 1917-18 1428; average daily number of patients, 177, 185; collective ; days stay, 64,453, 67,504; individual ; average days stay, 41, 46.6; number of j soldiers treated, 128, 118; number of out-patients, 1069, 2928 ; number of out-patients visits, 8020, 5745; number of soldier out-patients (included in above), 306; number of soldier outpatients visits, 4068. INFECTIOUS CASES DURING THE YEAR. Infectious cases admitted to hospital and requiring isolation: —Diphtheria, 1918-19 216, 1917-18 271; scarlet fever, 22, 47; influenza (complicated), 113, 0 ; hydatids, 3,3; cerebro spinal-meningi-tis, 8,2. WORKS. Works Authorised. —Buildings, Soldiers Ward.—This ward was opened on ! 22nd February, 1919, and is now occu- ! pied by the soldiers, and in conjunction with tne work and recreation rooms adjoining, erected by the Y.M.C.A. and the Red Cross Society, will prove to be of great value and assistance and comfort to the soldier patients to the hospital. The cost of erection was £8675. Works in Progress,—Kitchen Block— Work authorised last year and provided for by loan. The tender for this work was let in October last. Price £9BUO. To be completed according to contract in July next, but owing to the finfluqfiza epidemic a late start was made’ in commencing the work. The completion of this much wanted .'> r o. will enormously facilitate the food supply work, and also provide the much requy-ed accommodation for the kitchen and dorters staffs, and also enable food suppnps to be kept in suitable storeroom#.

Woiks jshich require attention and which should be erected at an early date.—Additions to Nurses Home — Sleeping accommodation required for at least twelve nurses. At the present time some of our nursing staff are occupying the upstairs rooms at the old administration block—most inconvenient rooms for them and in any case the accommodation there can only be temporary. At the main Nurses Home some rooms built for one nurse have had to accommodate two, a condition whica should not be allowed to exist except in eases of emergency. The enlargement of the kitchen at the Nurses Home is required owing to the increased number of nurses since the Home was designed, and this work requires immediate attention. The estimated cost of the whole work was estimated in 1917 at: Home £lBOO, kitchen, etc., £4OO. The question of dealing with the sleeping accommodation will, owing to the limited space near the Home, require much consideration, and I should recommend that the cost of this work be borne by loan as it will ' a permanent work.

Porters’ Lodge, at main entrance. — At a meeting of the board in February a motion was passed that all vehicles other thjiii ambulances and those belonging to members of the staff should stop at the main gate, and all tickets to visitors for admission should be issued there, and authorising the above work. The difficulty of site is an awkward one owing to the limited area there, but no doubt by excavating the bank a site could be obtained. Estimated cost, say, £2OO. Consumptive Shelters. —The question of making future provision for consumptive cases must be dealt with. The present shelters are not sufficient to take in all the cases. I would suggest that if the same state of things exist in other districts adjoining it would be better to erect a small sanatorium in a suitable position and share the cost of erection and maintenance, but I certainly think that in a great question like this the State should be approached to make the required accommodation in the most suitable place and.deal with al cases. By doing so the patients would receive the best class of treatment. ESTIMATES. The estimates for the ensuing year have been carefully compiled, but as a number of our contracts are for six months only or at current wholesale prices it is impossible to state with accuracy in these times the prices of supplies. To provide for ordinary expenditure it will be necessary to make a levy of twenty-one-one-hundredths of a penny in the £, and to meet capital commitments a levy of five-one-hun-dredths of a penny in the £. Again I take this opportunity of expressing the thanks of the board to the public for their generous contributions, which for the past year amounted to £2893 19/6, with the Hastings Hospital Saturday collection amounting to about £75 vet to come. This. I think, expresses an appreciation of the policy pursued by the board in endeavouring to deal with the requirements of this large district. THANKS. I wish to express my thanks to the hoard for the great consideration extended to me, and to the staffs of the hospital and the office my thanks are due for their able and valuable assistance.

MAINTENANCE. ETC . ACCOUNT YEAR 1919-1920. ■ Estimated Expenditure. — Outstanding accounts £2250, office salaries and administrative expenses £l2OO, Napier Hospital: provisions £6500. domestic and establishment £6750, surgery and dispensary £2BOO, salaries £7BOO , total £23,850. McHardy Maternity Home: Provisions £lOO, domestic and estab-

lishment £3OO, Surgery and dispensary £lO, salaries £4OO ; total £lllO. Public health £550, district nursing £l7O, charitable aid £2OOO, ambulances £250, amounts paid to other boards and institutions £2OO, Park Island Home £l6OO, miscellaneous (quarantine island, reserves, rates, bank interest and contingencies) £283 10/11; total, £33,463 10/11. Estimated Income. — Balance 31st March £3135 4/-, donations and subsidy £l5OO. bequests and subsidy £9, patients’ fees, Napier hospital £5500, Maternity Home £350, district nursing £25, ambulance fees £lOO, rents £BO, land agents licenses £200; total £10 ? 899. Levy on contributory local bodies at 21-100ths penny in the £ on £45,992,447. £13,993 7/10, Government subsidy at 12/3 in the £, £8570 19/1 ; £22,546 6/11; grand total £33,463 10/11. CAPITAL ESTIMATES. Expenditure:—lsolation block building £B9 7/ I, isolation block equipment £122 0/4, Park Island works £375, general equipment and contingencies £5Ol 17/8, electric light installation £l9B 13/6, equipment Soldiers’ Ward £l2O, building Maternity Home £1026 0/1-, equipment Maternity Home £l5O 11/5; £2883 10/4. Loan account, annual repayment of principal £2500, interest £1280; £3780 ; total £6663 10/4.

Income. —Levy at 5-100ths penny in £ £3331 15/2, Government subsidy at £ for £ £3331 15/2; total, £6663 10/4. It was decided to send a copy of the estimates, etc., for the current year to the various local bodies, asking them to return them together with their comments before the last Monday in the month on which date the board will meet.