THE HOSPITALS OF THE DOMINION

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12315, 9 December 1925, Page 6

THE HOSPITALS OF THE DOMINION

We learn, without surprise, of the arrival in New Zealand of the American, Dr MacEachem, the highest authority in the United states on hospital management and work. His arrival is only in with the announcement made some months ago that he would shortly be engaged, at the invitation of the New Zealand Government, in an inspection of. the hospitals of the New satisfaction 6 announcernent was received at the time with general New Zealand was then, and, of course, still is, proud of the hospitals that have reached, under the Department of Public Health a high degree of efficiency. But this feeling did not include a conviction that they are perfect. On the contrary, the suggestion for an inspection by high American authority, reputed in some quarters the highest on earth, was widely welcomed by a public anxious for the attainment of the very best possible T ay thro “? 1 ? Australia, where he will shortly come to us for the two months inspection he has' the doctor expressed himself very favourably towards the hospitals of this hnonlSV H 0 !/ 0 ? 116 ! Wlt ] l any ‘^ ea of stand ardisa.tion. The hospital work here, he declared, is of a higher standard than the American which is under his. official control Thus does it appear WVL lf standardisation is required anywhere, it is in the ITS A Zealand leadT self - com P lacenc - v > * » fair to say that again New It expected from Dr MacEachern’s. visit is obvious. It will not affect the general average of excellence, but it will concentrate and co-operate the efforts of the boards to improve theh: methods and services. The zeal here for improvement is great and most commendably so. Like all zeal of a system of many managing bodies, it requires pruning of its schemes, and the dictum of a high authority to prevent the waste that comes of both occanverlappmg” and undue piling up of expenses, which often should be lessened by being shared by all,alike, and the checking of a rivalry apt to go too far m welcoming specious discoveries.