WELLINGTON HOSPITAL.

NZ Truth, Issue 106, 29 June 1907, Page 4

W ELLINGTON HOSPITAL.

The ■ treatment of " (poor outdoor patients m , Welli-ngtpn's hospital seems to "Truth".. tot be something ■of a scandal, wvfco' wh[ch the proper authorities ougjhrf; to hold an investigation. Weliimgton • Hospital is a 'public charitable iristiiiution, and the 'fact that it.is a oh'atata'oile institution seems to be deeply mpressed oh those unfortuhate enough to have to Seek attention there? more particularly m the. fact thai the poorer a patient seems, or is lcnown to be, the least attention does that, patient reIceive. TMswosk "Truth" has' been | inundated with -serious complaints | concerning the •. treatfl!aen<t , the soaair I dalous and scurvy treatment, of ou-t---door pati&nts, wiiibh, ' if true, and [•there is no reas-O'ii to doubt the veracity of thes'B complaints/ ought to earn for one or more persons connected wilsh that institution, : severe oensure . from* the Hospital; ; Board, pa'cviding., of cbursej, that that Board will listen to, and investigate complaints. Perhaps it; is that the. medical staff attached to the Hospital is not large endugh to cope with the daily increasing . number of cases that are admitted' for treatment. ■ If such should be the case, .then iaie best 'thing the Hospatai BoaM can do is to increase the staff. Inuring the week one woman had to wait at the hqspi'tal from hilf-past one till 6. 45 p.m. .befdre anyone connected with.' this charitaM-e concern deemed ,it advisable to enquire whether the woniah wanted anything or not. This is by no moans an isolated case, Numbers of others haye been obliged to wait sayeral h'oujrs b-slbi-e their various warits were attended to, and m other cases, some, af.tier hangins around for hours, were told ;'tp go .home and coinc back again.. ' .There cannot be. the slightest douM. that many of these patient's are negleotefl, ami if oii't-door cases fcanriot reGeive proper attention it; might be that those inside are not receiv-ing the care and attention they-, should. ■ There is also a case of , tfiie man who is suffering from an : ananpjid growt«h m his nose. Several operations have been performed on him with ill-success, apparentr]y. .. Anyhow, he Avas .'recen'tly admitted to the hospital for. treatment, and it was shortly afterwards disebvered that he .had not paid for previous attention, and it -is alleged that, on this ground the man was turned out of bed, arid one of the doctors informed him that nothine; more could be done for him", right m the face of the fact that one of Wellington's leading medical m«n had" express&tl the opinion that the growth could be removed. .It certainly appears to ''Truth" that if a patient at the Wellington Hospital can afford ,to pay the better will ho the attention given ■hifri. -.The man m 'question is suffering .'the greatest agonies, and naturally wants to know if tflie Hospital can, or cannot, do anything more for him,- but it looks as ilvough, ,teing umaWe to pay. he will have to continue to suffer. This hospital matter should .receive the immediate consideration of the Hospital Board. The public are taxed, and contribute to its support, am 1 , pay up quite cheerfully. There is somethiwe: wrong: with the management,, and for that something;,' one or two doctors art the hospital should be rapped over the knuckles. Trie hospital is not for tlu* doctors, it is for sufferirtß jwnYrn'ty, and hvroanitv on the part ,r-f one or two at t>lie hospital seems .to be an upHaown qu.an/tity^