HOSPITAL PATIENTS

Manawatu Standard, Volume LIX, Issue 117, 18 April 1939, Page 12

HOSPITAL PATIENTS

OCCUPIED BED RATE. HIGH FIGURE REACHED. “The Hospital has had a higher occupied bed rate than during any previous year, the figure being over 207 —that is the number of patients under treatment in the Hospital from day to day has been higher than ever before. During this time one of the children’s wards has been vacant while alterations are 'being carried out, almost throughout the year,” stated the medical superintendent (Dir J. H. North), in submitting his annual report to the Palmerston North Hospital Board yesterday. “Improvements have been made in the allocation of beds to the various wards, a maximum number having been fixed for each ward,” he added. “Although these maxi mums arc necessarily high for each ward, gross overcrowding of any ono ward has been avoided by this arrangement. Accommodation, however, remains a difficult problem, until further ward accommodation is available. The opening of the second children’s ward during the present month will only slightly relieve the position. “Further reorganisation of the admissions to Hospital has been undertaken with the more extensive use of tile waiting lists for all departments. The use of longer waiting lists for non-urgent oases will be an increasing necessity during the coming year. I do not think that the occupied bed ■ate should be allowed to go higher than it is at present until further accommodation is available.

“The following arc the in-patient statistics for the year ending March 31, 1939:—Patients in Hospital April 1, 1938, 197; patients admitted during the year, 3235; patients discharged during the year, 3021; patients died during the year, 204 ; patients remaining in hospital at March 31, 1939, 207; daily average number of occupied beds, 207.09; individual average day’s stay. 22.21.

“Comparative figures for the past five years are as follow:

1939 1938 1937 1936 1935 Tn II os p i tal April 1 197 194 207 133 139 Admitted dur-

ing year 3235 3236 3167 3111 3046 D i s c li a r god during year . 3021 3058 3000 2917 2903 Died du r ing year 204 175 171 175 144

Remaining in Hospital Mar. 31 207 107 104 207 188 Daily average occupied beds 207.09 193.2 197.9 205.4 201.8 Individual average days’ stay *22.21 *23.2 *24.6 22.8 22.8 Tigure not comparable with .1935 and 1936 ‘it will be noted that the maul rise is in tiie occupied bed rate. The number of patients admitted during the year is almost exactly the same as last year. There are various factors contributing to this, the chief ones being the shortage of accommodation at the Awapuni Homo, especially in the women’s section, and the large number of long treatment cases, especially of pulmonary tuberculosis, in the Hospital. The increase in the number of those cases is largely due to an increase of Maori admissions. A larger number of Maoris are applying for treatment each year and all of them require prolonged hospitalisation. Another factor lias been the absence of sufficient children’s accommodation and no admissions of children’s tonsils oases for several months during the year due to the measles epidemic and shortage of accommodation. “The individual average days’ stay figure is lower than last year. This figure gives the number of days’ treatment afforded each patient discharged during the year; 22.21 is a satisfactory figure for a general hospital. Many factors again, as mentioned above, come into this figure.” “Tlie various departments of the Hospital, many of which are not prominent, contribute greatly to the smooth and efficient running of the Hospital. All departments in the Hospital as a whole have worked smoothly and efficiently during the past year. In concluding this report I must record my appreciation of the service of the honorary medical staff, the matron and nursing staff and the resident medical staff during the past twelve months.”