ST. HELEN'S HOSPITAL.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13287, 20 September 1906, Page 5

ST. HELEN'S HOSPITAL.

ALLEGED REFUSAL OF , ADMISSIONS. . / . THE MINISTER'S EXPLANATION. fßr TELEGRAPH.— SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT.] : Wellington, Wednesday. A question relating to St. Helens Hospital, at Auckland, was put to the Minister in charge of Hospitals (Mr! Fowlds) by Mr. Massey in the House of Representatives to-day. Mr. Massey masked whether Mr. Fowlds had received any complaints with regard to the wives of workers being refused admission to the hospital, and, if so, whether he had taken, or intended to take action with regard thereto; also, whether he would consider the advisableness of arranging for a board of management or advisory board in connection with the hospital? Mr. Fowlds said: "I have receiveddirect complaint from the wives of workers as to being refused admission to the hospital, but am aware that it has been asserted that the wife of a man earning £2 4s per week has been refused admission. I ' have made inquiries, and ' find that she was not refused admission on that ground, or, indeed, at' all. . The admission forms show that the wives of men earning up to £2 lis per week have been accepted as patients. On the other hand, complaints have been received that the institution is competing unfairly with outside midwives by admitting those who could well afford to pay a larger fee. Mrs. Neill is at present inspecting the hospital, and inquiring into all such matters. I do not consider that the establishment of a board of management is desirable." 'Mr. Massey said he hoped that Mrs. Neill's report would be laid before Parliament. There was considerable dissatisfaction regarding the working of the hospital, and he had a great deal of correspondence on the subject. There was no getting away from this fact, that the wives of certain workers had been refused admission, whilst the wives of other men earning a larger wage had been admitted. This was not the sort of thing that should obtain, and satisfactory regulations should be made. Mr. Fowlds said that no woman entitled to admission to the hospital had been refused, but one woman wished to lay down conditions contrary to the rules of the institution, and these of course could not be complied with. - It was stipulated that a doctor and chloroform should be provided, but it was against the rules to provide these except in cases of special necessity, the services of the trained staff being considered sufficient in normal cases. The hospital was intended for the benefit of those who were unable to pay for services in the ordinary way. As to the suggestion to place the management. of the institution under the control of a board, it was rather curious that the Opposition members were always suggesting this in regard to institutions under Government control. Perhaps if they were under the hon. gentleman's control he would not be in such a hurry to make the suggestion. These hospitals were now in their experimental stage, and during such a time, when it was desired to secure the best possible results, it was not desirable to relegate Their management to a more or less irresponsible board.