THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12158, 26 September 1901, Page 3

THE DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

MP, T. M.A f I 'S.ISN ZT K'-B ■ OilAßt'lES; MEKTINt! OF 'IHI- lIOSHTAT, TUt^StPte. -. A. spe.ci.al meeting of the Ifospitnl Trustees ''Was held yesterday atternooiii when there were. iire-eiH—Messrs I'. Miller (ill the chair), .If (jrcen, .1. Snvilli, W. Wills, and NV. j Wright. I Tlio;Chairman sniil thai the meeting had > fell (iilled for the [inrpo-e cf lieai'iiig read, tiie letter received .from the Minister iii reply to thy letter sent liy tile trustees iii vefeioiice to (lie. charge'! iintdo by Mr Thus. : Mackenzie, M.11.f.!., ngainst the Hospital, * At their hist meeting the trustees resolved to send a fiivther letter urging tl'.cMinister to grant all inquiry, but evidently that communication hat! crossed .the ..HiiiistefV reply, vf'hicli, was received on the evening of the 2UI, and their meeting ivas held "ii ■the ?.flth. The cliairman read tlid reply from the Minister, which ran as follows: — ? nspcctor-gcnr-rars Office. Welliiigtou, September IS,. 1901. ' refeien'ce to von-: letter of the 2Wil ult. to the H'Oii. the Miiiiste. of Justice, forwarding copy of a. resolution passed' by the punidin Hospital Trustees asking fb'r a magisteriiil iiHiuiry to he held, into certain statements made by llr T. Mackenzie, M'.if.H., m the lloiise of. llepreSentntrves- with regard to flic B.ufiedin Hospital, I am directed to imorni you that the' Government has decided, after careful consideration, that there is i'.o necessity..for a public inquiiy as .asked for by the v'trustees in this case.—l have, etc,, " I). MacC?.?.gos. A. Bv.rna, Ksq., Secretary to. Itospitat, Dnnedin. |. Mr Smith asked what was meant by " care--1 fill inquiry." |. 1 The tihairman said that lie did not know i what, was meant. He added that he had ! iruticed thill Mi' Mackenzie, in asking: his: j ci'iipstioii in the .House* had made stateniepb, ] according tlio parliamentary correspoml- - .' eiits; which were at- with liis prs ; . V'vipus stiiteinents, it'll(1 tins was after he linev.' i ■ tliat. the iilipiiry had been refused. Tl.ie 1 . ' chaiiiiiim then read the resolution which he .j- had prepared, as follows That' the letter , from the. lion. the. Minister he received, and. ' that tho secretary lie instriicl'cd to write ■ in repjy expressing t|ie regret-, of .the trus- ! tees that the .inquiry aslccd for had not, been •. granted, and for the following reasons—viz., i That Mr Thonias Mnrketi/.ii' should have • been coiiipelled to ftither prove or \vith- ; driljv h.i-5 charges, Wliicli,. as ihey stand, are ; a grave reflection upon the management of

:ii most iiuportuni institution. Tliat-. even though tiie Minister, disbelieving the 'statements made by Mr Mackenzie (for had he believed litem he must liave ordered an inquiry)., had decided that there Were' not s.ullfcient grounds' for holding an inquiry, bail 'such inquiry been held the lw.ele?.; nature of the charges would have lieon do liionstrated. the slui' east upon (lie dpelors and nurses would have been renioVcd., and

I confidence in the administration of tlie. institution, which without doubt lias ben , sliriken, would have been restored. That ilie . further statement ■ made. in. the House hy . Mr Thomas Mackenzie, its reported in the j livening. Star of the 21st ' That there had been a substantial improvement iu the niaiiage.nvenf of the instifiilron since he-had made liis statement to the House.' is equally contrary to fact..' no change whatever having been, mode in tlio management : or treatment of this patients- iu the iitepitat since or consequent lipOu the statements made by Mv >liickeiizie. Th:|( in au institutioii such as the D.uncdin Hpspita], lrcat> , ing about 1300 patieiits .per year, -d.isciiiline has'been and must lie strictly ni'aintalm'd:

, and tiie /act that- such grave charges inr.e. been made ami repeated, ft'iu.l tho right to re.f.u.te tlieivi lias, been refused,;,i.s subversive of sfif) 1 discipline. That the Irusk'e-, acting us they do 61 an entirely honot'ary'capacity and givinsf their time and attention without stint to the management of the Hospital, feel keenly that siicli attacks should liavii been made by a mcmherof Piiriiamoiii from a .position. in- which,lie cap not; be called to

account. and that tliev (the. trustees) _shou!d bc-iicuiod the' onp'jvtunityd: repel'mi? 'sikTi' iittacks (v.hicli. are calculated ip increase the: difficulties of management of the iiistitutioii,'' The chairman, ih Moving the resolution, said that lie very inuch regretted that tlijv Minister had not decided to grant an inquiry. The Minister had probably ken led to that decision dwrng to Mr zie's attempt to. mn;ke it .a v«y wide .inquiry, whereas all tlie trustees asked 1 , for' was .1 simple, inquiry by a. riia'gis.trnlo into the ..charges preferred. ■ Mr iT, tfrcen, in secomlintr the resolution., said that he felt regret that Mr Mackenzie had again varied his. statements. The first charge, was agc.insf que of the nlirsps. and since then iie had said that it was niil (lie nurses, Imi the doctor who was most responsible. Be (Mr Urcen) thought that it would have been i»s Well, if Mr Mackenzie liatl first of ail liinde his complaint to the trustees, and if tiiey' had .not taken sfeps to rectify what was wrong lie ivottld have been justified in. bringing 'the matter before Parliament, If' tlie things complained of came under, his o\Vii notice, it was strange that, he did npf. speak to the secretary or matron.. And why did lie allow ■ such a inug time to ehi'nse' before making complaint:' "tip to the present, timo Air Mackenzie I'rul not communicated with tile trustees at all. (i.nd such' conduct was more . than lie (Mr Green} could Sinderstand. Mr W, Wills, in supporri'ns the .inotion, .said: that lie "Would like tp. refer to the suggested local inquiry, Xn such suggestion ! wnr, made by tho trustee!.'. I)iit> it- emanated entirely front himsoll, and lie ivouitl take ; the Whole responsibility for it. ■ His idea

>vos that in the event of the Minister de. .ciding. against /the inquiry, 1-li.e evidence that the trustees had. to tender should' be" laid heforn the public, liany people would like, to hear the Hospital side of the question. If the Minister sti'l'declined, to give .them justice, lie thought tliev. should' publish. a statement of thu method of trcatiiient

pursued at the Hospitah

jfr Wright' said fiiat 'lit was in fiivm.ir of Mr Wills's idea.' The Chairman sniil lint- Mr. firoen was

nut present at Hie ia-'l Kicof i'ug.. but lie was to hear him endorse the trustees' action. He (Sir liiliit) -did not presume to say : thai tlio Hospital vns perfect;, or (hub the patic.iitti did liot grumble, ijut only tl.in.fc it a complaint Ava,? nw.de it. AVas n't niiee inquired. into, and that was tlio reason thai they had had sneh'good result.;. They had ligt .tried to smother rihyllfjng. lip,- and : suoli a statement from Mr Mapkeiizfe was not very encouraging to. a number of men who we're trying to administer an institution of this kind, and \yiis not what they would expect from a member who knew tliat the inquiry had been refused.

The resolution was put and carried unanimously. and the meeting terminated.

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