HOSPITAL BOARD

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 196, 20 July 1937, Page 3

HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING. PROGRESS OF ALTERATIONS. . The monthly meeting of tho Palmerston North Hospital Board was held yesterday, Mr J. A. Nash presiding. There were also present Mrs M. Aitchison, Messrs J. Hodgens, M.P., W. Howell, G. A. Monk, J. Boyce, I>. Collis, T. Green, V. E. Spiitli, L. T. McLean, M. A.‘Moody, F. J. Ryder, G. P. Catley. M. E. Perreau, and A. E. Mausford. The managing-secretary (Mr A. J. Phillipps) presented the following report for June:—Southern •Ward additions: The contractor has completed work, but it has. not yet been possib.e to move the patients into the ward, and in the meantime extensive renovations to the kitchen and bathroom in the old portion of the building are being carried out. Nurses’ accommodation at Southern Ward: Following tho evacuation of this building by the nurses who had been looking alter the infantile paralysis cases, the recent additions were prepared for lisa and eight nurses'are now living permanently in this building. Vegetable preparation room: The renovations to the vege-

table preparation room, including the fitting of new bench and sinks, have been undertaken. This work is now nearly completed. Awapuni Home: The alterations to the diningroom and men’s sittingroom at the Awapuni Home were completed. The result has been to greatly improve the men’s sittingrooin accommodation. Painting work: Painting work has been continued during part of the month at Awapuni, and two painters have been engaged continuously at the Hospital. Painting work on the McHardy block is nearing completion and the interior renovations at the X-ray block are be-

ing started. Car for district nurse: Tho amount of £lB5 was provided on this year’s estimates for aii additional car lor the Palmerston North district

nurses. The two nurses are at present sharing one car. I would recommend that a further 8 h.p. ear be purchased. The cars previously purchased have all proved most satisfactory, and I am satisfied, tiiat these oars are really good value and are most suitable for the- work.”

The social welfare officer (Mr W. H. J. Watson) reported that in June, in five weekly issues (as against four last year) 521 rations (772) had been issued

to 61 (92) cases. In Palmerston North the figures had been 350 (452) rations to 40 (50) cases. Tho medical superintendent (Mr J. H. North) reported that at May 31 there had !>een 191 patients in the Hospital. In June 241 had been admitted and 21 had died, leaving 198 in hospital, after 213 had been discharged. The daily number of occupied lieds bad been 198. In June there had been admitted four cased of diphtheria and five of infantile paralysis, there being in hospital at tho end of the month four of diphtheria, one of typhoid fever and 22 of infantile paralysis. The figures for the Maternity Home were given as follow:- —Admissions during month, 17; births during month, 15; attended ante natal clinic, 57; remaining in Home, mothers 6, babies G.

AMBULANCE DRIVERS. Advice was received from tho Hospital Boards’ Association that several txiards had been cited as parties to tlie New Zealand passenger transport drivers’ dispute, to be heard by the Conciliation Council on July 21. It would be uuuatistactor.y if ambulance drivers were covered by the general provisions of what was likely to be the award. A separate agreement to apply to ambulance drivers would bo more satistactory from the hospital boards’ ppint of view, and would be asked lor. —The proposal was agreed to. PUBLIC WORKS EMPLOYEES.

A letter was received from tho Public Works Employees’ Medical Association seeking amendments to the agreement between the board and the association in order to secure relief from the present liability. The association had incurred a debit balance of £SOO in the first year. The Director-General of Health wrote also in regard to the same matter, asking that consideration be given the representations. The managing-secretary said the matter had very little application to the Palmerston North Hospital Board so far, but there had to be considered the possibility of the development of the Uha.kea military aerodrome. Where men were living in tents there were no facilities for nursing sick persons, and the number going to hoi.piUil was very much higher. Mr Monk said that other boards vyerp involved and lie thought the subject should be held over until the Hospital Boards’ Association had considered it. The board decided to iollow that course. Replying to Mr Hansford, the man-aging-secretary said that probably the association had not placed a limit on the liability from eacli patient. For one man to be in hospital for a few months) would mean that the associa tion would have to meet a. bill for £IOO or more. FOOTBALLERS’ INJURIES. The Manawatu Rugby Union wrote seeking a rate of £1 for each X-ray examination of injured football players, the union to guarantee payment for players covered by the union's injuries insurance scheme. —The ma.nag-ing-secretary said lie had desired to bring up the whole subject. People who nttended the football received ' the benefit of amateur games and yet where a boy received a broken leg he had to meet the hospital account himself, while the insurance fund operated only to the extent of £3. If a bov had a clerical position at 30s a week lie was sent the account and it was a largo amount, relatively, for him. Scats for the Springbok matches cost as high as £l. yet players in other matches might be hurt and on going into hospital they would bo called on to meet the account. The New Zealand Rugby Union was a financial body at the present time and lie thought tho whole subject should he taken up by the Hospital Boards’ Association for national action. If tho accounts were guaranteed the hospitals might l>e able to treat injured footballers for half fees. Fie thought that the £1 Is fiat rate should be agreed to.

It was decided to approve of the flat rate charge and also to bring the matter of hospital treatment of injured footballers before the Hospital Boards’- Association. GENERAL.

Approval of an overdraft limit of £21,000 for the period from July 1 to September 30 was received from the Minister of Health (Hon. P. Fraser). Letters of appreciation of treatment given patients at the Otuki Sanatorium and the Palmerston North Hospital were received from Messrs P. S. Grant (Wellington), F. Pycroft (Palmerston North) and R. A. Wilson (Bulls).—Received. The reports of the mana.ging-secre-tarv, medical superintendent and social welfare officer were adopted. Tho medical superintendent at the Otaki Sanatorium (Dr. Francis) reported that there had been 55 patients in the Sanatorium on June 1. Ten patients had been admitted during June and 10 discharged (including one from Palmerston North). Tho daily number

of occupied beds in June had been 53.43 (8.53 from Palmerston North and 44.9 from other boards). At the end of the month there had been 55 eases in the sanatorium, including eight from Palmerston North. The matron (Miss J. M. McGhie) reported that the health of the nurses was good. Nurses D. Smith, S. Smith, To Punga, Joyce, Dawson, Patterson, Brandt and Rayworth had passed the iStnte examination. Nurses Blixt, Miles, Goodrich. Claughton, Leitch. Anderson and Edmundson had passed the anatomy and physiology examination. STATE OF FINANCES. Reporting on the finances, the managing-secretary said- that in hospital maintenance the board had overspent the estimates by £I4BO, £CO!) to which had been for the buying of linen for the- year. Of the £BOO left a small proportion was extra salaries and wages. In that direction there had been no serious over-spend-ing yet, because all the industrial agreements pending had not become operative. About £2OO had been spent on tarring arid sanding courtyards and paths. Medical and surgical supplies which had 'been purchased for the year ' had slightly exceeded the estimated cost. The maintenance expenditure in regai-d to the Otaki Sanatorium would be hard to hold within the estimate, but eleven,more beds were being provided and that would give greater income. There .were still patients on the waiting list. Tho expenditure at the Awapuni Home would be just within the estimates. The expenditure on charitable relief had come down to almost exactly tho estimate for the period. Tho district nursing system’s cost was within the estimate. The maintenance of patients in other institutions was a little over the estimate, but there had been a few accounts , come in which liad been held over from the previous financial year. The Awapuni farm maintenance account was within the estimates. The patients’ payments (income) were £720 less than the estimate, but it had to be realised that payments (other than for the sanatorium) were £2OO more than those of last year and practically lip to the estimate. The position in regard to sanatorium fees would be remedied when the eleven additional beds were provided. In any case the winter quarter of the year was not a good year for patients’ payments.