ST. HELENS HOSPITALS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15061, 2 August 1912, Page 8

ST. HELENS HOSPITALS.

FREE - INSTITUTIONS URGED, V [BT TEr.EORArn.—-PItESi ASSOCIATION.] j;i ,? ' &),-■ . : ;;.'." Wellington, Thursday.' .-,' The , Wellington division of/the : British Medical Association waited r>n the-Minister ,- in charge of hospitals (Hon. R. H. Rhodes) • to-day with ,: reference to St. Helens ;,;/ maternity hospitals. '-■■■ '-y~j '■"■" ■■"■~-v- y '"■"':'-,. Dr. Herbert said that the profession had . no antagonism,to : the homes,,provided that ' ...they/benefited the right ; ,people. The mediu - cal profession gave them their practical sup- . port. .1 Their only desire was to put them ; on a surer foundation. He urged that the homes should be. made charity institutions; •" . It was admitted that the: poor could go there at present 'through the Charitable Aid Board, but it was not right that poor • , women should be forced to go to the Board, thus, exposing their poverty/ The/great majority- , would "not do so. Women who ] : could not afford to pay at St. Helens Hospital should be given : better;'; facilities. Where the homo surroundings were, unfit cases should.bo admitted, but at present the doctors . had no.;right : to,; send cases ;

there. Once the Boards established ma- ' - ternity wards, tlio" general hospitals would ■;•:: turn out ; better trained ..nurses in every .: respect : than the St. Helens hospitals ever did. - •

. Dr. Gibb, in answer to the.Minister, said .that the doctors' opinion was that the Boards should take over the St. Helens hospitals. Poverty I should be the chief ret commendation for admittance. -

The Minister said; that ho would consult his officers before giving definite reply. Ho would not, without full consideration, be prepared to make the- homes iiree. It would bo better to ;idd maternity wards to '.the-hospitals:' ■■ . ■ ■:' ~: ' : ':'' /. : ~ . Dr. Valintine (Inspector-General of Hospitals) asked Minister's permission to .say. a few words in reference to the statement that the St. Helens homes were not covering tho ground • Mr!. Seddon intended them to cover. Ho denied that absolutely. Tasy had not departed, from the policy one iota sinco' ho had taken'[charge of the ]>- partment five years ago. Although it had boon stated: that they took only a speciallyselected .class*.in, such ,• by no . means had been ; tho case. They had fiat times taken the. poorest in tho > community. ..They must also remember that. vast amount of work i amongst; the poor was also being done by i tho outpatients' department of tho' hospital. The poor were also attended in their own homes by nurses sent out from St. Helens. Tho Minister said ho ( was being pulled both ways. ; The waterside workers had waited on him the previous day, and! urged that tho St. Helens hospitals should not he regarded as charitable institutions. They a)iso urged that women should bo treated in their own home's, and yet the deputation said that in some cases the homes -were unsuitable for finch a, purpose. A member of the deputation replied that even the ordinary Hospitals were charitable •institutions.