THE PUBLIC HOSPITAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 120, 17 April 1930, Page 7

THE PUBLIC HOSPITAL

BOARD’S ANNUAL MEETING. REVIEW BY CHAIRMAN. growth of institution. The annual meeting of the Palmerston North Hospital Board was held this afternoon, Mr J. K. Hornblow presiding. The chairman, in reviewing past activities, presented a comprehensive report. “The year commenced with the passing of our late chairman-(Sir James Wilson), thus severing a personal link which connected the past with the present,” said Mr Hornblow. “In this connection will you permit me to take a brief retrospective glance covering the period of our late chairman’s connection with the institution. “For comparative and historic purposes it may prove informative and interesting. In the pioneering days of this district, when the primeval bush was being cleared preparatory to ' cultivation and settlement, the need for. a hospital was felt, consequent upon accident cases which had to be sent to the nearest hospital at Wanganui. One’s imagination can picture the suffering many underwent nefore reeciving hospital attention. The Government .at that time was opposed to any division of hospital districts. “In 1891, however, our late chairman, who then represented' the Manawatu constituency in Parliament, was successful in getting all the local bodies in the district to agree (including the Wanganui Hospital Board) to a division of their district. The boundaries of our new district were .defined by the Rangitikei River in the north and the Fitznerbert Road Board area in the south. “The enabling bill, sponsored by the late chairman, was parsed in 1891. The erection of a suitable building was then decided upon, and by special efforts and generous gifts a sum of £3700 was raised. The late Mr G. M. Snelson was the first chairman and the late Mr Walter Rutherfurd attended to the finance. FROM MODEST BEGINNINGS. “The Hospital, a modest wooden structure was opened by the Hon. W. Pember Reeves in November, 1893. The medical staff consisted of Drs McIntyre and Porter, and the matron was Miss Dougherty, assisted by two nurses. The building consisted of four wards of comparatively small dimensions. No. 1 was a private ward, later used as an operating room. No. 2 was built with money left by the late Mr Wilsher (now called the Wilsher Ward). It had five beds and was used as a women’s ward. No. 3 was a small room with two beds-and No. 4 was the men’s ward with seventeen beds. The whole of this original block is shortly to be demolished and to be replaced by the administration block and chronic ward. The first patient, whb was admitted on November 23, 1893, was William Jackson, aged $3 years. The first operation was performed on William Thompson, who was the third patient and was subsequently employed by the bo ar d- . , ■■ .v . “The contributing bodies at that time, and the amount of levies paid by' each were as follow: —Manawatu Road Board, £l3B 4s; Palmerston North Borough Council, £136 10s; Halcombe Town Board, £ 3 12s; Foxton Borough Council, £29 8s 6d; Feliding Borough. Council, £lO2 3s ;. Fitzherbert Road Board, £74 4s lOd ; iKiWitea County ‘ Council,- £ls7 ■ IQs,;, Manawatu County Council, £195 12s; Pohangina County Council, £72 19s;. Manchester Road Board, £207 13s lOd. INCREASE IN NEEDS. “As the town and population increased, the demand for further accommodation was claimant, and in 1914 or 1915 a comprehensive building scheme and lay-out, to be completed in ten years, was mooted. In 1918 the Horowhenua County was merged into our district. This great accession to the population of our district made additional accommodation and equipment imperative. “To-day, the hospital district extends from Waikanae in the south to practically the borders of Hunterville in the north, taking in the following counties: Horowhenua, Manawatu, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Pohangina, Oroua, and the boroughs of Otaki, Levin, Shannon, Foxton and Palmerston North; also, the Feilding district and the Rongotea Town Board area, with a total capital value of £31,000,000 and a population of 56,000. In this district we are providing hospital accommodation for some 200 in the main building at the Hospital, fever ward accommodation, a twelve bed maternity home, and an Old People’s Home which can accommodate about fifty inmates, and a cottage hospital at Otaki. “During the past year we have afforded treatment to 2890 inmates at the Hospital arid to 226 patients in the Maternity Home, while there was an average of 48 inmates in the Old People’s Home. The board is employing in all these institutions a total staff of 186, made up as follows: Administrative and management 8, medical staff (apart from honorary staff) 7, bacteriological 2, nursing and massage 109, male domestic 27, female domestic 33; total 186. “The growth and development of the institutions have synchronised with the marvellous growth-, and prosperity of the district, with both of which our, late chairman was intimately associated. The services of those who have gone before should be to us • a source of, inspiration to greater 'service in the cause of the sick and suffering. AN IMPORTANT YEAR.

“The year just ended has been an important one in the history of the Hospital. During the yeiir we have added the Wilson Memorial Block, at a cost of £IB,OOO, to provide accommodation for fifty extra beds. On each occasion when 1 have inspected the Hospital during the year 1 could not fail to notice the great difficulties under which the staff have been working, owing to the congested state of the main wards, and that the nursing work of the Hospital has been carried out so satisfactorily during the year reflects the greatest credit on the matron and nursing staff. “I would also like- to mention the work which has been done during the past year by our honorary stall. It is only when one comes into close contact with, the institution that one can realise the debt we owe to these members of the medical profession who are frying their services gratuitously to the Hospital. The following statistics give some indication of the work at the Hospital during, the year-Aver-age number of occupied beds 1/3, average number in isolation (diphtheria 4.75, scarlet fever 14, tuberculosis 9), individual days’ stay of patients 21.8» “Fortunately, the number of patients in the fever wards for the past year was less than in the previous year, though the numbers in the main hospital have exceeded those for tne previous year. A CREDIT BALANCE. “As regards expenditure, we have come through the year with a credit balance of £l5B 5s 6d. Owing to the numbers of patients in the surgical wards during the year, it has been

necessary to increase the nursing staff, so that the opening of the two nev/ wards will necessitate very little addition to this staff. Fortunately, if we have overspent on some of our maintenance items, the excess of receipts of patients’ fees over the estimate has enabled us to come through with- a credit balance. I cannot foresee any reduction in hospital expenditure generally, but I am pleased to see, on going into the figures, that our patients’ revenue is increasing faster than our expenditure, and there will only be a very little increase in the maintenance levy this year, namely £276. I am somewhat concerned as regards the Otaki Hospital, which is going to cost the board well over £2OOO a year, and from an examination of the hospital records I find that the .great majority of the patients are unable to contribute towards the cost of their support.” Reference was made by the chairman to the work in the Maternity Home, 226 patients having been admitted during the year. ‘Tlie Old People’s Home has been conducted satisfactorily,” he added, “and certain heavy renewals and renovations have been- carried out. . These •terns should be non-recurring, and the coming year’s expenditure will be less •ban the amount last year. Tho present number of inmates is 47, of whom seven are females.

■ “Speaking of the social welfare work, I must mention the fact that the board’s relieving officer, Mi- F. i\isher, has retired on superannuation. Tlie board has .had in Mr Aisher a loyal and conscientious servant who has endeavoured to keep expenditure at a minimum. A great improvement nan been effected during the year in the dispensation of relief by the introduction of a standard ration scale. “As regards the maintenance of patients in institutions, other than those under tho control of the. hoard, increasing numbers of patients are annually being, sent to special institutions such as Hanmer, the Queen Mary Hospital, and Government sanatoria, and in most of these cases, especially the tubercular ones very little can be recovered from the patients.- However, it is part of our duty to offer these facilities to those unfortunate people requiring such treatment, and I would again stress, the necessity for the careful scrutiny of such cases by tho medical staff, with a view to ensuring that only really suitable cases are sent for special treatment. - CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS. . “In general, the expenditure on hospitals is increasing, and the duty incumbent on hospital boards to provide facilities for the treatment of disease is a difficult one to carry out, the greatest care having to be taken to ensure that the expenditure is always in the right direction. The board has sanctioned in the capital estimates expenditure some big improvements in plant, including a new X-ray plant and an additional ambulance. Tlie board is forced to keep abreast of the times in the matter of X-ray and all other adjuncts to surgical treatment, and as regards ambulance service in these days of fast moving transport, with the resulting accidents, good ambulance services are essential. “So far as the proposed additions to the Hospital are concerned, the need for ft chronic ward has long been felt. The housing of 1 chronics at the Old People’s Home and in tho general wards of the Hospital is unfair to the patients themselves, and unduly encumbers the medical and surgical wards. The proposed administration block is long overdue. Our administration buildings and accommodation for the house surgeons at the present time are most unsatisfactory. “It is proposed that in raising the loans for buildings this year no portion of the money, shall be uplifted until after rthe first, half of the financial, year ; :i and. that the main portion of the loan will not bo uplifted *until the financial year, 1931-32.- I think that the fact that we are opening two new wards this year with only a very small increase in our levy, should be quite •satisfactory to our ratepayers.'” Concluding, the chairman thanked the members of tho board for their close co-operation, expressed his appreciation of the work of the managingsecretary and staff, and extended his congratulations to the medical superintendent, matron, nurses, and all associated with the instittuion on a successful year’s work. He felt that the ratepayers were receiving good value for their money, and only by special effort would they come through the new year satisfactorily from a financial point of view.