CHRONIC CASES AT THE HOSPITAL.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CVI, Issue 12570, 3 August 1901, Page 2

CHRONIC CASES AT THE HOSPITAL.

MEETING OF LOCAL BODY DELE- ‘ ' . GATES. , A meeting ,of delegates from fiifiereni., local bodies to the question of .chronic,cases at the Hospital, was held in the Board-room at the Hospital yesterday afternoon; present —Messrs ■ Jacques (chairman of the Hospital Board), R, -We.stOiira (Selwyn County Council), \V. Rollitt (Hospital Board) and Hastings Bridge (Samaritan Home). The Chairman, in opening the meeting, explained that it had been called to consider and' take united action in the direction of bringing before the Government the absolute necessity of prdvidiug a Home for incurables. The Government was considering the matter in some measure, but it was urgently necessary that immediate steps should "be taken’towards providing such a Home. The question was whether the Homeshould be attached to the' Hospital, placed in the Hospital grounds, or detached altogether. He, personally, thought that to have such a,,: Home in the'Hospital grounds would be a grave The Hospital was hot an institution suited for carrying on work of the description that would bo required, and he favoured the establishment of a central Home, where chronic cases could receive nursing and be - made comfortable. Dr Crooke had pressed on the Hospital Board the strong desirability for the establishment of a Chronic Home in Christchurch, in some central position. Thete were at present from twenty to thirtv chronic cases in the institution, and Dr Crboke had stated that there were a large number in constant attendance ait the out-patient department, fit subjects for such an institution as it was. proposed to ask The. Government to establish. ■Mr Board said he thought that if., the Government had any interest.in the .matter at all itwould deal with the question in. a peremptory manner. The time had arrived for dealing with the question. The Board could hardly give an. approximate number of the cases, for there were at presfent no means of ascertaining. He thought it was the, duty of Hie meeting to'frame a resolution, urging upon the Government the necessity for establishing suitable Homes. : Mr Rollitt said that, as proposer Of the resolution calling the delegates together, lie could say he had been made aWare of the absolute necessity for 1 a Home few chronic cases. It had' been brought prominently before the Hospital Board recently, when the Charitable, Aid Board aiid the Samaritan Home had each sent a ease to the Hospital. There had been much trouble ovdr it, and it had been tried to throw the onus on the Hospital Board. He thought it would be very inadvisable to have a Home of this kind in the Hospital grounds. In most of these cases it was hot Tneiply sensual living that had made them subjects for suoh a Home, but it was frequently a clear break-down of the nervous system.. They did not so. much require medical attebdnnce as nursing and gbad, food. Then there were incurable diseases, and it would-be dangerous to have them about the Hospital grounds, where the convalescents might be out for air. The meeting should insist upon Government making- provision for the care of chronic cases in separate Institutions. He was sorry bis resolution had not been passed when previously proposed. If it had, it would have been possible to have sent out circulars, and' meetings would have been called all over the colony, and consequently such, pressure would have been brought to bear upon the Government that it would have had to give effect to the resolutions. The meeting should draft a resolution pointing out that .provision""for '"chronic cases Was an imperative necessity, and should forward a copy, not only to the Government, but to all Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards and members of Parliament.

Mr Board said the meeting should be, clear on the point that the homes should be under the direct control of the Government, or the Gfcrvernment would- try ip throw the onus on the local authorities.

Mr Hastings Bridge said the meeting should be certain as to what would come under the heading of ebroriio cases. There were - some ■ cases in the home he represented —the Samnritan—Which were merely indigent, but They required looking after. - The meeting would' require to distinguish in some manner, or the Government- wopld say that such an institution as the meeting agitated for would he overlapping the- work of other charitable institutions. •

The Chairman thought that if a home were established, it would be necessary that there should be separate wards. 1 ■ Mr Westenra agreed with what had been said. Chronic cases, were not fib subjects for hospital treatment, they requited a home set apart specially. Dr Crooke, who then entered the mom, said there had been twenty to twenty-five cases in the hospital for the past three ,oi four months. At this time of the year tilfere were frequent applications for beds and the hospital Whs simply crowded to excess. Often these cases had to be taken-in, because the subjects had no home. The ■hospital took them in, and then had : to find homes for them. . Sometimes urgent cases had to be refused because there was no room for them.; One case had been m the hospital since March of last year. It was that of an old lady, who was simply infirm. There Was always a large number in’ the institution, and if they did get a little bbtter and go opt, they were not long before they applied for readmission. The hospital returns could nob -give a return of the number of chronic cases, for there were a, great many that the hospital did nob come into contact with, A chronic ward attached to tho hospital would be of no use whatever, as it would bo simply crowded out in a few days, and then the position would be as bad as ever again. A large separate institution, was urgently required. There were certainly more than- 600 chronic cases in the colony. In'the outpatients department at Christchurch alone there were over a hundred caises being treated. Mr Board said there was a danger of both the public and Government thinking ■that tho Hospital and * Charitable Aid Boards were trying to shirk their duty, but the work of looking after chronic cases was not work that a local body could at present cope with. That was the reason the Charitable Aid Baord, desired to impress on the meeting the desirability of the Government taking the work in hand. Considerable discussion took place as to the wording of the motion, and finally it was resolved—“ That' in the opinion of this Conference the Government should erect central Homes for thfe cure of chronic and incurable sUch Homes to he under the direct control of the Government.” Mr Rollitt then moved that the resolution just passed should be re-embodied in a circular, and sent to the different local bodies and' Hospital and Charitable Aid Boards and members, of Parliament. , This was also carried, and a sub-commit-tee, consisting of Messrs Jacques and Board, was appointed, to draw up reasons for the first resolution, and to embody them in the circular. This concluded the business,; and the meeting closed.