DEFENCE HOSPITALS

New Zealand Times, Volume XL, Issue 9077, 23 June 1915, Page 9

DEFENCE HOSPITALS

THE MEASLES EPIDEMIC

COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE

ARRANGEMENTS

MINISTER AUTHORISES CHANGE

Oh' CONTROL.

Since tlic outbreak of the measles -epidemic at Trontliam camp, many complaints have been hoax'd with regard to tho arrangements made for the treatment of tho men and the general control of the medical branch of the Defence staff. It has been .admitted generally that the officers of tho Medical Corps acre (loins their best in a difficult situation, but tho manner in which their efforts have been guided has boon tho cause or constant and deep dissatisfaction. A representative of the “New Zcailnnd Tunes’’ who made some inquiries Upon tho subject during the last tew days found ample' evidence i’i support in the complaints that had leached this office. Without going into unnecessary details, it may be montkmeu vlmt tho sanitation ot Trcutham camp, whore some thousands of men have boon continually in residence for more than half a year, has been p.aced in a .satisfactory condition only during recent weeks. When the measles outbreak began, tho medical organisation proved altogether unable to meet tne strain. The sufferers were hurried off to tho Berlmmpore infectious diseases hospital, which had been borrowed from the City Council. The hospital had neither the accommodation nor the equipment that wore required, but it was not until the Minister for Defence had made a personal inspection of tho quarters there that •other arrangements were made. The cpidom c had got a good hold 'upon tho camp before the arrangements for the isolation of tho .sufferers became anything like complete. Read■evs of the newspapers have been able to gather for themselves that the provision of hospital accommodation of a mutable kind, and of convalescent 'ljpartors, did not proceed r-. rapidly ns the measles did for a. .long time after the seriousness of the outbreak became evident, though there is every reason to believe that the position, is now thoroughly satisfactory in those respects. The epidemic, it, may no t he generally known/ has cost' several lives through pneumonia or sqrae other complicaton following measles, and it is chv.mod, not without some reason, that these deaths might have been avoided if the medical arrangements had been prompter and more complete. 'JEW SYSTEM OF CONTROL f)R VALINTINE TO DIRECT MEDICAL SERVICE. The Minister for Defence (the Hon. James Allen) informed a representative of the “New Zealand Timas' 1 yesterday' that, bo had decided to make Homo administrative changes in connection with the medical branch of the Defence Department. Dr Valintiue, the Inspector-General of Public Health, vvdukl take charge of the military hospitals and conliol nil the arrangements for tho treatment of sick and wounded New Zealand soldiers within the Dominion. ’

“Dr Valintino, who used to bo connected with the Defence Department, has been brought back into the Defence service because wc require his services at the present time,” said the Minister. “It is necessary that wo should avoid any overlapping or conflict of authority between the Public Health Department and the Defence Department. Dr Valintino will become Director of Military Hospitals, and will take full charge of all the sick and wounded soldiers at Trcntham camp, in the hospitals and elsewhere. Ho will continue''to be responsible to Uio Hon. R. H. Rhodes, the head of the Public Health Department, who, for the purposes of this work, will bo a deputy Minister for Defence. Tire military authorities at Tronthara and elsewhere in the Dominion will hand their sick and wounded over to Dr Valintino, who will direct all arrangements in connection with them.” In answer to a question regarding the status of Colonel Purdy under the new arrangement, the Minister said that the Director of Medicc.l Services would retain his present title and have control of 'matters connected with the territorials, tho fittings of troopships, the examination of recruits, and so on. Ho would he associated with Di; Valintino in making appointments to the medical service. St was necessary '“that tho Public Health Department and the Defence Department should co-operate in this matter, since tho Public Health Department had to see that enough medical men were retained in New Zealand to meet the ordinary needs of the population. In answer to another question the Minister said that .there was no intention of moving Treutham camp or of making any radical alteration in the arrangements there in consequence of the measles outbreak. The sanitation system was now complete, and the hutments would ho able to accommodate practically all tho men, thus making tlio continued occupation of , tho tents unnecessary. Under these circumstances there would he no reason to fear any special infection at tho camp in tho future.