DR. MAKGILL OF HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12239, 7 April 1903, Page 6

DR. MAKGILL OF HOSPITAL MANAGEMENT.

STRAINED RELATIONS. At an ordinary meeting of the Auckland Hospital and Charitable Aid Board yesterday | a reply was received from Dr. R. H. Makgill, i district health officer, in respect to the state- ■ ments made by Dr. Collins at the last meeting ! of the Board regarding the Health Depart- ; ment. Dr. Makgill wrote that he noticed from the ' reports which had appeared of the last meeti in" of the Board that certain members and I the resident medical officer had contradicted i Dr. Mason's remark re expenditure on gas, I etc. in the infectious diseases hospital, I and had tried to cast reflections on the pre- ' sent management of the institution. He ! would bring to the Board's notice the following facts: —1. As to the question of the amount of gas burnt at the hospital during the period the Board had control, Dr. Collins informed Dr. Mason and himself that it cost £63 per month, giving that figure, as a reason for raising the charge against the Department to be made by the Hospital Board. They believed at the time he was speaking officially and accurately, and accepted the statement as given. The figures now given by Sir. Bollard showed they were mistaken. The fact of a large number- of cases being under treatment, especially in the winter months, while perhaps accounting for the actual sum spent in September last year, would scarcely justify so large an expenditure as £60. 2. He-was surprised to learn from Dr. Collins that the gas bill at the infectious diseases hospital had been £5 per month, since no gas bill had been rendered so far, and therefore they had no' information as to its amount. 3. He had himself noticed a smell of escaping gas in the north ward when they took charge, and the nurses on duty found and pointed out to him a leak in the fittings. 4. As regarded the cost of antitoxin, Mr. Garland had stated that the serum cost 10s each time, and. in bad cases there might be as many as 100 injections, from which one would infer from Dr. Collins' explanation, that the patient received four to 5000 units at each injection, totalling in all some 500,000 units, which would surely be a record for heroic treatment. Mr. Garland probably referred to the price paid for each vial of the scrum. A glance at the hospital accounts showed that the vials supplied cost 9s 6ci, and had a strength of 1500 units. Dr. Collins' doso of 6000 units must therefore .have cost the Board 38s each time. It was evident the Board had been paying 6s 4d for what could be obtained for 2s. 5. It was astonishing to find Dr. Collins posing as having stepped in to save he life of a child whom the Department were not prepared to treat properly. Ho would have done better had he made the attempt on March 25 by accommodating the child when it was first sent to the hospital. He laid the facts of the case before the Finance Committee meeting on Thursday, the 26th ult. The child was suffering from pneumonia, following measles, but the measles had sunsided three weeks before, and the case could scarcely be regarded as being infectious after that lapse |of time. In any case, the treatment of | measles was not at present within his legal powers, that disease being no longer on the schedule. It was only when he gave a perI sonal guarantee of the expenses that the ! Board consented to allow him the services of ! two nurses to attend the case.

| Mr. E. W. H. Bates reported that he. had , taken the trouble to investigate the prices | paid by the Auckland Hospital Board for | diphtheric serum, and had found that the cost of Burrough and Welcome's serum of 2000 i units strength was 4s, subject to a discount - of 25 per cent, as a donation to the hospital. ; So that tho 6000 unit injection really cost j only 9s, and consequently they could give j four injections of 6000 units for the amount quoted by Dr. Makgill. The Health Department offered to supply serum at 2s per 1000 units, but he could obtain it at 25 per cent, below this price from Burrough, Welcome and Co. The Chairman pointed- out that tho 10s dose referred to as a statement made by ! himself had reference to the state of tho ; patient. He thought that the lines had i fallen in unpleasant places to Dr. Makgill I when he considered he could teach the Board : and its medical officers how to conduct their j.business. It would be far better if Di. Mak- ! gill attended to his own business and left i them to look after theirs. The statement i made by. Dr. Makgill in reference to the 1 child was true. He was asked if it were an ' infectious case, and replied that it was a case iof measles. They had no means of coping . with such a case unless he made himself responsible and dealt with tho matter along i these lines. The child was taken over, but I unluckily, died. There was no one at fault I for this. The statement made in reference | to a. dose of 6000 units costing 38s was preposterous. He moved, " That Dr. Makgill's letter be received." -Mr. Bollard seconded, and the resolution was carried.