SOUTH OTAGO HOSPITAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18323, 13 August 1921, Page 12

SOUTH OTAGO HOSPITAL

MONTHLY MEETING OF BOARD. The monthly meeting of the South Otago Hospital Board held yesterday was attended by Messrs A. Korin (chairman), H. M. Driver, Jas. Gumming, Jasper Clark, J. Rutherford, J. Mosley, W. A. Blair, A. S. Malcolm, M.P., H. Simson, and A. Rennie. Accounts totalling £417 7s 7d, to which members’ travelling expenses had to bo added, wore passed for payment. On the motion of Mr Driver the whole board was appointed the finance committee, three to form a quorum. The Hospital and Charitable Aid Committee reports were adopted. The Charitable Aid Committee stated that no new cases has arisen during the month; two of the previous oases reported werp recommended to be sent for admission to the Benevolent Institution, Dunedin. Nurse Paddock wrote stating that having been appointed matron of the Louisa Roberts’ Hospital, Middlemarch, she was unable to accept the position of district nurse at Tahakopa.—The matter of securing a nurse was left in the hands of the chairman with power to act. KAITANGATA HOSPITAL. Dr M’ikiobin, Department of Health, wrote with regard to the Kaitangata Hospital, stating tnat it could not be maintained that skilled nursing was unavailable in Kaitangata while Nurse Lakeman and Matron Clements, both hospital trained nurses and experienced in midwifery,

served in that capacity. An important feature in considering whether or not tho institution of maternity beds in a mining community would prove a success was the fact that the maternity work with the miners’ wives was carried out on a contract basis, and as would bo seen from Miss Broad’s report tho arrangements with Nurso Lakeman wore so favourable financially and otherwise to the miners’ wives that there might bo considerable difficulty in persuading them to leave their homes and enter tne hospital. With regard to the suggestion of the Nurse Inspector that if a maternity block was constructed on tho hospital grounds and did not justify its existence it would bo used as a women s ward for general illness, he suggested that that was untenable. The Otago Hospital Board found that the Kaitangata Hospital was very often far from fully occupied, and if the South Otago Board built a hospital in Balclutha obviously further extension of a general nature at Kaitangata would bo justified. Ho would suggest that no further action be taken until some dennito assurances were given that patients

mw ttiWWJUMVVw '' n I J ,! would be forthcoming to fill any beds the board might provide. Miss broad s suggestions that an out-patients’ department would bo an advantage was a good one. He understood that the doctor saw most of his patients there, and that the present facilities were not good. Perhaps part of the present men’s the partition of which was under consideration by the boaro, oould, by means of light partitioning devoted to that purpose. Maternity nursing was in every way encouraged br the department, but in reporting to the ,, bo ; he had to give consideration to aU tho facts: —• . Nurse Broad’s report, which was appended. stated (inter alia) that Mrs Clements, matron of the public hospital, was trained, in the Southland Hospital, but not registered. Nurse Lakeman, in the Southland Hospital, and registered had been the nurse employed by the Coal and Oil Company for the last five years. Neither had had maternity training but each hart had years of experience in the work, there were no trained iriidwives practising in the district; the names of four women who had attended maternity cases at their homes were given, and two homes where maternity patients were accommodated. She had talked with three people who were anxious to have a maternity block in connection with the hospital—the matron, Dr Reekie, and Mr Boylan, a member of the Hospital Committee. Mr Boylan was of

opinion that any stirring up or enthusiasm would have to come 1 from outside, mostpeople being content with the conditions that had been successful for their parents and those befbre. The number of cases going through to Balclutha seemed comparatively few, and the opinion was that these would go to the hospital at Kaitangata with altered conditions. Nurse Lakeman had informed her that as the company nurse, she attended confinements and pave attendance to mother and baby for 10 days afterwards for the normal fee of Ss in all. The doctor received 30s per case and this fee did not vary, as most of the residents belonged to either the Medical Club or lodge. Nurse Lakeman had been m and out of the homes for so long that she had gathered that the women themselves did not desire any better conditions. They could get a girl to do the work, stay at home, and have a nurse in attendance for the expenditure of very little, whereas if they left home it would mean paying some woman to take charge of the home. Shoulo a maternity ward be started at the hospital the general opinion seemed to be that the present ward should on no account be divided, as it would lose its usefulness should a big accident come in. The nurse inspector added that if used as a maternity ward she thought it would be much too adiacent to the men’s ward. She suggested the building of a small maternity block on the ground adjoining the present building. If found not to be justifying its existence for maternity cases it would not be money wasted, as the doctor would be very Had of a women’s ward, and above all of an out-patients’ department. The matter was deferred for a month pending Dr Wylie’s report. On the motion of Mr Malcolm it was decided to write to the matron. Public Health Department. Wellington, asking how many patients could be attended to by the present staff. . The matron of the hospital submitted her report for the month of July. She also reported in regard to the instruments at the hospital, which were only the instruments required for minor troubles. With the widening of the scope of usefulness of tho hospital it might be ; necessary to provide many instruments nofc previously required.