HOSPITAL CONTROL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIV, Issue 1188, 10 December 1924, Page 7

HOSPITAL CONTROL

REPLY TO DOCTOR BEGG. THE COMMUNITY SYSTEM AUCKLAND, Doc. 6. Keen protest lias been revived in Auckland against statements that were made recently by Dr. R. Campbell Regg, Dominion secretary of the Nov Zealand branch of the British Medical Association, at the special inquiry last month into hospital administrative practice at Palmerston North. On that occasion Dr. Begg declared, in the course of his evidence, that the question of honorary medical staffs of ' public hospitals was very unsatisfactory throughout the whole, of the Dominion, and that the failure of the boards to utilise the services and advice of honorary staffs in the way of improving hospitals and making them fit for modern requirements had had more influence than any other factor in keeping New Zealand hospitals in their present state of inefficiency.

This criticism was the subject of a letter from the" 'Auckland division of the British Medical Association to the chairman of the Auckland Hospital Board, and tlie provisional ’president of the new Hospital Boards’ Association, Mr W. Wallace, who lias taken the opportunity to rebuke Dr. Begg. The honorary secretary of the 8..M.A. (Auckland) Dr. E. B. Gunson, wrote to Mr Wallace as follows:—-“.In view oi the evidence of Dr. Campbell Begg at the hospital board inquiry.at Palmerston North, I am instructed to place the following .fact before you: The Auckland division of the B.M.A. at its September meeting discussed fully the question of hospital administration, and the opinion of the meeting was that the Auckland Hospital was efficiently manuged and that the Hospital Board possessed tho complete confidence of the profession. The Working of the community system was outlined, and where the hospital makes arrangements lor nursing, feeding, and accommodation of all patients, private and public sections of the hospital are treated uniformly, but the patient makes his own arrangements for professional attendance, in the case of private patients. It was understood that the Auckland Hospital Board is in favour of this system. At the monthly meeting of tho division in November, the following motion was unanimously carried in view of the facts enumerated above. ‘The Auckland division pledges itself to support strongly any efforts of the board in the direction of introducing the community system, as the division realises that the conduct of the institution is entirely a matter for the board and the profession can with confidence look to the board for protection against hospital abuse.’ Referring to Dr Begg’s statements, Mr Wallace said that it was at least interesting to set against the doctor’s criticism of hospital administration the opinion ol Dr. Mayo, of the famous Mayo Clinic at Rochester, U.S.A. When that eminent American surgeon was at the Medical Conference in Auckland this year he was asked as to hisopinion about New Zealand hospitals in comparison with those he had seen in other parts of the world. Dr Mayo’s reply was: “I have seen operations performed in New Zealand that could not be more skilfully performed, nor in more ideal conditions in any part of the world. ’ Air Wallace added: “I prefer to take the opinion of that eminent surgeon rather than that' express-

ed by Dr. Begg.”., , It was explained by Mr 'Wallace tliat both Dr. Begg and Dr. Herbert, of Wellington, wore given an opportunity at the recent conference pi hospital boards of the Domhiion to address it on matters affecting the welfare of hospital administration, Jf Dr. Begg had any complaint to make, continued Mr Wallace, that was the time and the place for him to have made them when representatives of all boards were assembled, and not to attack them in the manner that he adopted when they had no opportunity of replying to him. “As to hospital administration which Dr. Begg characterises as ‘inefficient,’ it is to be noted,” said Mr Wallace, “that in the very act of his condemnation of the conduct of the hospitals Dr Begg paid a high compliment to the value of the hospitals to his profession. He admitted that connection with a hospital meant better private practice for the medical man because he was introduced to his patients in hospital, and more particularly because a hospital appointment was looked upon as the hall mark of efficiency.” ; Speaking of the Auckland Hospital. Mr Wallace said that there was never a time in its history as now . when

the Hospital Board and honorary medical staff worked together with such harmony. The best of good feeling existed and every recommendation that was made by the honorary stall' was given most careful consideration. The aim and object of every member of the hoard was to make Auckland's standard of hospital efficiency not only the highest in New Zealand, but the highest in the Southern Hemisphere. “There is only one answer for Dr. Begg’s severe reference to the question of hospital superintendents,” concluded Mr Wallace. “Dr Begg declared at Palmerston North that the question of hospital superintendents was even a greater stumbling block, lor in some places the whole hospital was entirely in the hands of a paid superintendent. My answer is that i can only ask Dr Begg to reflect on the fact that this week Dr Mac* Guire, the popular ' superintendent of the Auckland Hospital, has been elected president of the Auckland division of _ the British Medical Association, which is the largest division in New Zealand.”