HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13394, 21 September 1905, Page 12

HOSPITAL TRUSTEES.

■.Tim monthly meeting of tho Hospital At/ -ii ,•, ■3 , « st ««l«>V Was attended by fUssis l>. Miller chairman), A. E Tanner & N. Brown,W. Wills, and ilark Sincff . Iho House Committee reported that leave ■ of absence had teen granted to Drs Closs ami Colqulioun in order to allow them to attend tho.Medical Conference at Adelaide, and that Drs-O'Neill and Williams had teen appointed to attend to their hospital work > during ; their absence; that instructions had boon given to Know tho accident insuranca ns.k which expired during tho month- that a sunpjy, of lire tors had been ordered for lie boiler fires, three mangles and an iron heating stoyo for the laundry, and a portabio forgo and an anvil for tho engineer; donations of books, periodicals, and papers had b?cn received from Miss Cohen, Mrs M Donald, and Mrs Dicker (Broad Bay). Sundry minor repairs had been attended to about the various ' buildings.— Adopted. _ .Ihe ■ Finance Committee recommended • liiat accounts for August amounting to £767 , Jus Id bo passed for payment. The receipts J, or n, l " mo F c " fill wore: In-patients, £220 & 1M; ontfifati, 510 7s 9d; donations. s £12 is 6:1; sales, £81H; m \ medicines, £6 '« 9d 1 ;_! ?. f P al ' 1 £ , 253 lls 2d. The Hospital . Board notified that £6000 had been pa«*oil ■• for. general maintenance purposes for the , 12 month* onding 31ft March, 1936, and that • £1009 and £500 [or hospital extension and electric lighting respectively had also been passed, and-would bo raid over wJ-.on required by tho trustees. The accounts for • expenses incurred liy tho «xcciitivo of tho ■ Hospital extension movement, amounting to £28 Us, had been sent in by the hon. secretary and passed for payment, subject to approval of tho trustees.—Adopted. Tho return for-tho out-patient department , for tho. past month showed a total of 403 ' eases, including 276 old caws (114 malo and 162 female), and 127 new cites (65 ma!o and • 62 female). Bofqre.proeeeding with the business of the meeting tho Chairman said ho wished to make reference to tho death of their lato colleague, Mr Jns. Green, who had unfortunately met his end as the result of a regrcttablo accident. Mr (ircen had beon an indefatigable member of the Hospital Trustees, and had been connected with other charitable, boards for tho past 20 years. He had tr.kym a great deal of interest in works-per-taining to tho Hospital, and the welfare of , tho patients, alid was held in the highest respect by all who had come in contact"with i "m. At their previous meeting reference : had boon mode to tins death of another late I member, Mr Henry Clark, and it was strange 1 that only, a month should elapse between tho two deaths. Messrs Brown, Mills, Tapper, and Sinclair also testified to tiro lato Mr ■ Green's ■ sterling worth, and on flic motion ; of tho chairman it was decided that a letter of condolenco bo «nt to the late Mr Green's relatives. On the motion of tho chairman it was decided that Mi" fj. Solomon be appointed to the Hospital trustees in lien of Mr Green, deceased. Mr .T. M. G. Garrow forwarded a further list of contributions to the Hospital Extension Fund, amounting to £566 fc sd, bringins; tho total uniount up to £2144- 3s Id. Hγ David Titmiach wrote forwarding a cheque for £53 1.? lid, k'inrc tho proceeds of a- concert held by the United Ancient Order rtf DniWs (Dimedin district), in aid of tli? Hospital Extension Fundi Mr T. S. Graham, secretary of the Oiago District Hospital Board, wrote stating 'that tho trustee*; hid been granted the usual sum' of £6000. also an additional sum of £10CO.for building extension and £500 for electric lighting.' i Mr A. Burns wrote stating thnt tho period of his holiday had nearly expired, and as, !ar as ho could judge his health had siiffi.' c'cntly improved to warrant bis informing tho chairman that it,was his intention to resume work at the' Hospital on the Ist ■October.—The letter was received, and tho Chairman stated that tho acting secretary, Mr 11. W. Wait, had aiven every satisfaction during tho snvon months ho bad carried on the duties. It was left in the hands of the chairman to arrange for Mr Wait .remaining on for an extended period. It .was resolved by the Financo Committee that 'the sum in hand for tho extension of tho medical wing he deposited.in tho National Banlc for two years in four sums of £500 eneh. ■ A sum <if £600' is, already on fixed deposit, and this will make a total deposit of £2600. At the sanio time- there is an amount of £400 (odd) in tho current account. Mr Brown said he wished to tall attention tn a statement made by Dr MaeGrcgor, in his annual report , on tho hospitals and charitable institutions of the colony, to- fho effect that it seemed to him that greater caro (should bo exercised in the selection of probation nurses for the Tlimrdin Hospital. With regard 1o this lie IMr Brown) might sbto that the utmost care was taken in selecting tho very best of those who offered themselves as probationary nur.-os. If those selected did not give satisfaction, then no blame could" h« tint upon those who had mode the selection. Another statement in 1 the samo 'ronort was: "Thnt individual members of the medical staff should no longer givo cwtiPicntcs of eompetonre to nurses on leaving , , the Hospital. A certificate signed by tho chairman iilorni should hiivo (j.iiy vnlno for trustees, of other hosnirals in sriircli of nurses or matrons." Mr Brown ?aid he wes not awnre that certificates of fitness were granted by individual incml-ers of tho staff, and if such wove tho enso it was lo be <leiirecat«d, and should he discontinued. Certificate? granted should bo sipned by tho chairman of tho trustees. Ihfi' chairman of tho medical staff and-the matron. All nurses should be apprised by tho matron that they _ were not on any recount to request certificates from individual members of tho medical sj&ff. Mr Brown proceeded to put a. motion to tho effect that, certificates should l>o sisned as mentioned nbovo by him. The Chairman explained that such was already t.lio rase. When . nursns were- leavinir tho Hospital, however, thoy were, ho said, in tho habit of getting a private certificate or recommendation from onp of thn doctors, bnt not a Hospital-rortificntc. It was finally left in tho hands of tho chairman to discuss the matter .with the chairman of the medical staff, and to urge thosp on tho staff not to givo privotiv testimonials to nurses when leaving tho institution. '