VINCENT HOSPITAL BOARD

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22654, 20 August 1935, Page 13

VINCENT HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING The monthly meeting of the Vincent Hospital Board was held in Clyde on Wednesday, last, when there wer£ present Messrs J. Ritchie (in the chair), D. S. Middleton, W. Jelley, S. A. Stevens, G. Weaver, W. Bringans, G. T. Alexander, and J. M'Knighfc. A deputation from the Lauder Combined Medical Club waited on the board and made application for an additional grant of £55 for painting and renovating the doctor’s residence at Lauder. —It was decided that the request be granted subject to Ministerial approval being received.

The director-general of health acknowledged receipt of the board’s financial statement for the quarter ended June 30, which, he stated, appeared to be generally satisfactory. The director-general of health advised that Mr J. A. Strong had been engaged by the New Zealand branch of the British Empire Cancern Campaign Society as physicist, and by arrangement between the society and the department Mr Strong would undertake a survey of the radium and X-ray plants used in the public hospitals of New Zealand. He will report on these through his society to the department. The Waipiata Sanatorium Committee forwarded copies of minutes of meetings held, and wrote inquiring the number of beds available in the Dunstan Hospital shelters for accommodating patient* whose names had been on the waiting list for admission to the Waipiata Sanatorium for some months.—lt was decided to offer the committee accommodation fgr five male patients. The Alexandra United Friendly Societies' Council submitted a . proposal from the Central Otago friendly societies for the formation of a hospital bed scheme on the same lines as those in * operation in other parts of the Dominion, the number of members affected being in the vicinity of 600. —The secretary was instructed to advise the council that the board was-willing to enter into an agreement with the combined lodges for a guaranteed payment on the basis of 50 per cent, of the fees du« by bona fide members and their ents for treatment in either of the board’s hospitals at Cromwell and Clyde, this concession to be allowed only if the number of members availing themselves of the scheme was in of 75 per cent, of the number mentioned —600. The treasurer’s statement of thd board’s finances for the quarter ended June 30 showed the receipts to be £57 14s_ 3d less than the estimate for the period, and the payments to be £BS 9s 2d less than the estimate. The board's credit balance on August 14 was £440 18s.

The matron of Dunstan Hospital re* ported that during July 23 patients were admitted, 19 were discharged, two had died, and nine remained in hospital at the beginning of the month. The matron of the Cromwell Hospitsil reported that 21 patients were admitted in July, 14 were discharged, and 21 were in hospital at the end of the month.

Accounts and salaries totalling £lll3 10s 3d were passed for payment. The board entered into a lengthy discussion on a paper received from Mr James A. Jenkins, of Dunedin, on the hospital system of Otago and Southland. It was decided that in the event of a conference being held to go further into the matter the board would send a delegate as it was of the opinion that better co-operation between the various boards would be to their mutual advantage, at any rate as regards matters of finance and policy. Regarding the questionnaire that concluded the paper, however, the board was not prepared t® answer these questions without further investigation and explanation.