HOSPITAL MATTERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10427, 27 April 1897, Page 4

HOSPITAL MATTERS.

Nothing is further from our desire than to stir up another agitation concerning hospital matters of the kind that tike public grew so familiar with some time ago. But the hospital is a public institution, and we believe that all public institutions are the better for being kept well within the ken of public criticism. The discussion which took place at yesterday's meeting of the Board incidentally brought to light that a matter of very great importance —the employnent. of young and inexperienced nurses in the fever wards and the frequency of fever among them - had been brought under the notice of the Board by Dr. Mackellar nearly t month ago, in a letter which we publish to-day for the hint time, but that hie communication wag considered tn camera. We are at a loie to understand wlnr an important communication of that kind should have

been dealt with by the Board with closed doors. Surely the public have a right to know how the Hospital is being managed! Dr. Macke.llar also drew attention to the resignation of senior nurses, and the difficulty of inducing nurses trained in the hospital to return to duty. There is an implication here which we should have liked to have seen met in ft dirpct and satisfactory manner. If senior nuraes are resigning, and it is difficult to induce nurses who have been trained in the Hospital to return to that institution, there must be son* cause, The Medical Superintendent, to whom Dr. Mackellar's letter was referred, says lie is unable to iccountforit. With regard to the employment of young nurses in the fever wards—a practice which naturally he does not approve of—that arises from the present state of the nursing staff, while in hie opinion the frequenoy of fever among them is due to the fact that the fever warda are "saturated with typhoid germs." This is a serious statement, and in our opinions calls for immediate action on the part ot the Board. If the wards are saturated with typhoid germs, the sooner vigorous measures are adopted the better.