OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19801, 28 May 1926, Page 7

OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD.

The monthly meeting of the Otago Hospital Board, held last ni ht, was attended by Messrs W. E. S. Knight (chairman), G. Gallaway, A. . Quelch, J. Dove, J. Scurr, W. B. Morgan, D. Larnach, J. H. Hancock, Duncan M'Lennan, Dr Newlands, and Mrs Macdonald.

CORRESPONDENCE. A letter was received from the Minister ol Health stating that he would give consideration to the representations of the boaro in regard to suggested legislation to provide for “summer time.’’. The Director-general of Health wrote advising that Miss Christina Neil had been appointed matron at the Pleasant Valley Sanatorium. DEFAULTING HUSBANDS. A letter was received from the Hospital Boards’ Association enclosing resolutions passed by the association. The resolutions were as follow:—(1) “That the Government be urged to provide an institution where deserting husbands can be employed on productive works, and help to maintain their wives and families”: (2) “That the conference urge upon the Justice Department the need for stricter administration of the existing legislation dealing with deserting husbands and call upon the Government to defray the cost of returning such to the Dominion.” Mr Scurr said he thought they should back up the association in every possible way. This Matter of defaulting husbands was a shocking business —to sec time and again where men were lacking in their duty to their wives and children and neglecting to provide even the necessaries of life. They saw orders made in the court where men were sometimes as much as £2OO or £3OO in arrears. It was ridiculous that the Government should allow the arrears to pile up in this way, because the public had at the finish to support the wives and children. He thought they should give the association every assistance in connection with this matter. Mr Hancock; I quite agree. The letter was received. COMMUNITY HOSPITALS.

Dr North, hon. secretary honorary medical staff, wrote as follows in connection with paying wards:—At a special meeting of the honorary staff on May 5 the following resolutions were carried;—(l) That the staff approves of the principle of the community hospital, which already has the approval of the Hospital Board. By a community hospital we understand a hospital providing accommodation for the following:—(a) necessitous cases; (-b) those able to pay maintenance (these are already catered for); (c) those able to pay full maintenance, and also for the services of their own doctor; (2) the staff approves of the honorary system of staffing public hospitals for the care of patients under (a) and (b), as is the present practice, but not for those in section (a), who are able to employ their own doctor; (3) the probable cost of maintenance in the paying wards is estimated at from five to seven guineas per week. The present cost of maintenance for patients is four guineas per week, exclusive of capital charges; (4) the staff desires strongly to urge that wards for paying patients be provided in the near future, and that efforts made to raise a proportion of its necessary funds be by voluntary subscription.

The Chairman said he had not known that this matter was to come before the board.

Dr Newlands said the letter was simply a statement of the staff’s attitude on the matter —simply a desire to put their attitude on record.

Mr Quelch said he thought it was their duty to provide not only for indigent cases, but also for those who could pay. There were certain cases which could not be treated very well in private hospitals. They would soon he having their new X-ray apparatus, and they could make a start with treatment by this apparatus, instead of dealing with the proposal on general lines. Mr Morgan: You will have to reconstruct. Mr Quelch said they already provided in the country hospitals for all and sundry, provided the beds were not required for indigent cases. The same thing could apply in Dunedin in those cases where a patient wanted to be treated for certain troubles. Mrs Macdonald: One class of accommodation? , Mr Dove said he saw no reason why the honorary medical staff should not make a charge to those patients in the Dunedin Hospital who were willing and able to pay. They need not then worry about a community hospital. Immediately they put m a community hospital they were going to have class.

The Chairman said the matter would not be lost sight of. Mr Dove said he would give notice to move at the next meeting on the lines of his remarks. NO APPEARANCE.

The inquiry into the charge of negligent treatment at the hospital, made by Andrew Johnston, was continued. The Chairman said they were all conversant with the matter betore them. There was a charge made by Andrew Johnston in regard to his treatment at the Hospital. The inquiry had been adjourned from the previous week to permit Johnston to be present that night. The Secretary read the letter he had sent to Johnston inviting him to be present. Dr Stewart had rang up from Milton stating that he would be unable to attend. He had forwarded the following letter:—“l regret that I shall be unable to attend tonight's meeting. I would have liked to have been present to explain my remarks concerning the pressman who made himsell a drunken nuisance. In asking you to have those pessmen pdesent identiiied 1 felt that some injustice was done, and I would hka to assure you that none of these men visited Johnston. Johnston during the whole of his hospital treatment was most enthusiastic in his praise of the Hospital- He so expressed himself to the sister of the massage department, the ward sister, and to myself. I cannot think that he alone engineered this futile complaint.” Mr ScniT: Is there any reply from Johnston ?

The Secretary (Mr Jacobs); Nono. Mr Larnach ; Is it necessary to take up our time i ( Johnston cannot come in to prove his case. Why should we waste time over it?—(“Hear, hear.”) I notice that Johnston made the -tatement that he could not walk properly. Why, I Saw him down at the Exhibition, and there appeared to be nothing wrong with him. Mr Qnclch said, ns one of those associated with the motion adopted at the previous meeting—that the inquiry should be adjourned to enable Johnston to appear—he would now simply move —“That no further action he taken.”

Mr larnach seconded the motion. Mr Sciirv said he thought the motion hardly went far enough. Johnston had made an accusation against one of the doctors on their staff, and he thought something more than the bald motion should be carried. He would move the motion he had moved at the previous meeting. The motion (which had not been seconded on that occasion) road as follows —“That the hoard after hearing the evidence of Dr ‘rt-ewart and Johnston, is of the opinion that. Johnston had no just cause of complaint regarding his treatment in the Hospital. Mr Dove seconded the amendment, Mr Morgan said that Johnston had made no complaint while in hospital. It had been after he left that he had made the complaint The Chairman: Johnston's letter of the 15th distinctly stated that a mess had_ been made of bis leg in the Dunedin Hospital. Mr Carnaeh said he thought they should .let the matter drop.

Messrs Scurr and Dove and Dr Newlanda voted for the amendment, which was lost.

Mr Quelch’s motion was then put and carried.

Dr Newlands skid he wanted his dissent recorded against an inadequate motion. The whole point of Mr Scurr’s amendment had been lost. OFFICE STAFF.

Five applications were received for the position of records librarian, and 16 applications for the position of shorthandtypist.—The appplications were referred to the House Committee to act.

RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE. The statement of estimated receipts and payments for the year ending March 31, 1927, was submitted and adopted. The estimated receipts for the year were sot down at £102,122 12s 2d, as compared with £103,025 2s 7d for last year. COMMITTEE REPORTS.

The various committee reports were adopted without discussion, with' the exception of the report from the Hospital Committee.

In moving this report, the Chairman asked that clause 1, dealing with the apparatus required for the -ray department, be referred back, in order that it might be considered in conjunction with the letter received from W. Watson and Sons, regarding the equipment. The request was agreed to. M Quelch moved that clause 2 be referred back to the committee for a further report. The clause read: — “ The committee recommends that the grant to the Otago University Council for work done in the bacteriological and' pathological laboratories for this board be increased to the rate of £IOOO per annum as from April 1, 1926, provided that no further application is made, and that the University Council is satisfied with same for a period of not less than three years from that date.” Dr Newlands spoke in favour of the recommendation being adopted.

On being put, Mr Quelch’s amendment was carried by six votes to four, those voting for the adoption of the recommendation being Dr Newlands and Messrs Gallaway, Hancock, and Dove. Mr Dove, as a parting shot, when the chairman announced that the clause would have to go back: “And you will be in just the same position as before.”