OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20702, 27 April 1929, Page 23

OTAGO HOSPITAL BOARD.

MONTHLY MEETING. The final meeting of the present Otago Hospital Board was held yesterday afternoon, the chairman (Mr W. E. S. Knight) presiding. There were also present—Messrs' J. W. Dove, A. F. Quelch, G. Gallaway, D. M'Lennan, Dr Newlands, Mrs Ross, and Miss Runciman, CORRESPONDENCE. The Director-general of Health wrote advising that the scale of fees for patients admitted to the King George V Hospital, Rotorua, had been increased. —Received. A letter was received from the Direc-tor-general of Health advising that the Minister of Health. had approved the appointments to the honorary medical staff at Dunedin Hospital.—Received. An invitation extended to the members of the City Ratepayers’ Association to visit the Dunedin Hospital and other institutions under the board’s control was accepted, the secretary of the association (Mr C. Wing) intimating that the visit would probably take place after the municipal elections.—lt was decided that the matter be left in the hands of the chairman, with power to act. An invitation was received from .the session clerk, Knox Church, for the members to attend a special hospital service on May 12, and was accepted. HOSPITAL DIETITIAN. A letter was received from the Otago Home Economics Association asking what steps the board intended taking with regard to filling the position of hospital dietitian, which will shortly be vacant. —The medical superintendent (Dr J. Thomson), in a report commenting on this letter, said that he was more concerned with the dietary of the patients than the status, of the dietitian. With regard to appointing a successor to the present dietitian in the meantime, a reasonable solution of the present, situation could be arrived at by havin’' a sister in charge of the kitchen who know how to estimate ■ the caloric value of food and how to arrange diet according to the patients’ needs. There . was no need to fear in any way that the dietary of the patients iu Dunedin Hospital would suffer under the proposed arrangement. He intended to recast the syllabus dealing with the instruction of nurses in invalid cookery.—The chairman said that the board could hardly deal with this question off-hand, and it was decided that the mutter be left to the Hospital Committee for consideration. BATCHELOR HOSPITAL. A letter was received from the Otago University Medical Students’ Association expressing appreciation of the assistance rendered to students in. training a*. Batchelor Hospital. The chairman said that from the date of opening in May, 1907, to date, approximately 095 students had been in attendance in the various branches of the Batchelor Hospital. There had been increasing demands made upon students in the field of midwifery, and of this experience the students had fully availed themselves ; nevertheless, the proportion of responsibility taken by. th( medical and nursing staffs respectively was very large. It was noteworthy that five-sixths of the cases with the responsibility and teaching of both nurses and students, had devolved upon the nursing staff. Of the cases attended by medical men, the bulk had been abnormalities, with some normal eases as demonstration, and cases where it had been necessary io’get assistance in repair work. From 1907 to 1911 there wore two medical men in regular attendance, and from 1912 on one man. Dr Ritchie, or his substitute, had been in regular attend anco. In 1925 the gynaecological houst surgeon was attached to the Batcheloi Hospital, to be called upon when necessary, and they now had Dr North in charge, Dr Gerald Fitzgerald appointed to tench on the normal cases (when obtainable), and Dr Thomson visiting regu larly weekly.—The letter was received.