DUNEDIN HOSPITAL TRUSTEES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11303, 22 December 1898, Page 3

DUNEDIN HOSPITAL TRUSTEES

Tho-ordinary meeting of the Hospital Trustees was held in the Dunedin Hospital yeslerday. afternoon', and was attended by Mr P. Miller..(chairman),. J. Green, J. Robin, J. N. Brown, W. TrVrifrhl, S. Myers, and J. Carroll. An apology for non-attendance was received from ftir Clark. • On the motion of Mr Blown, seconded by Mr AVright, and supported by Mr Robin anil Myers, -Mr P. Miller was unanimously leeleoted. Mr Miller thanked the members for having re-elected him fqr the ninth or tenth time as chairman of the institution. He did not regard himself as a born chairman, but supposed he had learned something during the earlier years of his terms of service, or he would not have been so.ofteri re-appointed. At, the same time, he knew other members of the board would be equally efficient. For the past two. or. three years they had been anxiously, looking for a change in the administration of charitable aid. He was given to understand they would get that change during the coming year. Ho did not know of any form of government that would be more satisfactory than the present administration of hospitals if it was only properly taken in hand. The work was arduous at times, and he was sme no one could fill the position of chairman satisfactorily if it wero not for'the loyal and able assistance given by Mr Burns and the matron. Mr J. Green endorsed what had been said by the chairman regarding the officials of the institution. He thought they should put their appreciation of the stafF on record, nnd moved —" That a vote of thanks be accorded to the staff; that it bp entered on the'minutes, and the secretary directed to receive it himself and to forward-it to tne other executive ofli-core^tlie'-.mdtron' -and the house surgeon— with-the request that it be conveyed to those tinder, their 'superintendence." ', ' Messrs Robin and Myers also referred to the sfncient'mannei in which the officials had discharged their duties, and the motion was adopted without dissent. 1 , ' iixroitTS. The Finance Committee reported payment of salariesind accounts amounting to £577 17s 7d, and that receipts for the month of November amounted, to £119 0s 4d, and for December '£54-4 ss, inoludintr the amount of £450 from the Hospital Board. The sum ot £54 18b fid (voluntary contributions) had been collected up to 24th .of November.—Reporl adopted.. ' ' . The House Committee reported the attendance for the out-patient department for the month of November was 494 cases, and for the corresponding month in 1897 the number was 774. The cash collected from out-patients for 12 months, under the 31st of October. 1897, wa« £108 OslOd, and for the'same period in ■ 11398'tho amount collected was £110 3s 6d.' The whole attendance for the year ending; 31st October, 1898; was 7800.cases; for the corresponding period 'of the . provious year 9331-. cas.es. The committee recommended that increased bathing accommodation be provided for the nurses at the Nurses' Home.—Report adopted.- • - ' • ■ . ' ■■ EXAMINATIONi OF NUIiSES. Drs Roberts and Gordon Macdonald reported having held an examination of nurses on the'l4th inst., and that the following nursos ,had passed:—Seniors: Nurse MacMillan and Nurso Tombs. Juniors: Nurses Williams, Goodove, Smith, Donald, Collie, Thomson,' and .Spraftgon. " ' , .MEDICAL STAFF.

For.the position of physicians on the stnff there were four applicants—Drs Colquhoun, Roberts, Macph'erson, and.Riley,—and, on a vote,: beiris taken; ;Drs. Colquhoun, Roberts, and -Macpherson were appointed. Five applications were received for the posi-tion-of surgeons—viz., Drs Rilcy, Gordon Macrlonald, Pa,torson, Clobs, and Barnett, —and Drs'Baniett, Macdonald, and Closs were appointed. 'The other appointments were:—Gynecologist, 'Dr Balchelor ;; ophthalmic surgeon, Dr H. L. Ferguson ; patholoirist, Dr Roberts ; physician for skin diseases, Dr J. Macdonald. Mt Myers moved a vote of thanks to the medical and surgical staff for the past year. Those gentlemen bad given a great deal of time to their duties, and the results had been highly satisfactory.. As a matter of fact, there were more major operations carried out successfully in Dunedin than in any other hospital. He knew the surgeons did not want al,l the credit of this for themselves: they would,'doubtless, rivo a certain amount of credit to the nursing slaflF. and perhaps even, now, to the sanitary 'condition of the Hospital. Still, the fact remained that they were in the proud position of performing major operations in a manner which would be regarded as highly skilful in any part of the world.

Mr Wright seconded the motion, which was carried unanimously. " " ' 'MISCELLANEOUS. It was resolved that,'thq. Christmas dinner should be eiven to the patients on Sunday; December125; and tenders for supplies were referred to the House Committee.