WAIPIATA SANATORIUM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23107, 5 February 1937, Page 6

WAIPIATA SANATORIUM

MEETING OF COMMITTEE The Waipiata Sanatorium Committee met at Waipiata recently, when there were present: Messrs E. Macdonald (chairman), W. Bryant, J. Rodman, T. Golden, J. Ritchie, T. Dowling, J. M Smith, A. Rennie and Dr T. M’Kibbin, representing the Department of Health. Dr A. Kidd, medical superintendent, was also present, and received a welcome from the chairman on his return from a visit to Great Britain and Europe. The chairman reported that the Minister of Health (Mr P. Fraser) had paid a brief visit to the sanatorium on January 21 and had personally expressed his appreciation of the work the committee was engaged in. The secretary reported* having arranged with the commissioner of Crown lands, Dunedin, to consolidate the miscellaneous licences held by the committee.—Approved. The medical superintendent reported that four patients were admitted to the institution in December, 11 discharged, while 101 remained on December 31. 1936. The majority of these patients were doing well or improving.—The report was adopted and general requisitions for equipment for the new shelters and additional rooms at the nurses’ home were granted. The secretary (Mr T. Pryde) reported that at the date of meeting the eight associated hospital districts had 104 patients in the institution, of whom 13 had been in for more than 12 months. Since the last committee meeting, in November, 19 patients from five districts had been discharged, the majority of whom were either disease arrested or disease quiescent. He submitted a waiting list of 22 patients, the admission of the majority of this number having already been arranged for. The secretary reported having communicated again with the Directorgeneral of Health regarding the architect’s plans for the Samuel Saltzman Administration Block submitted for consideration some time ago, and his action was approved.—He was asked to get in touch with the department, insisting that the matter should be expedited so as to enable the committee to arrange the extra finance required in its next year’s capital expenditure. During the afternoon the committee selected a suitable site for this building, to the west of the present laundry block, and convenient to the different wards and shelters, for administrative purposes. The secretary reported that 25 bales of wool had brought a net price of £557 Os 6d at the Dunedin sale.— Noted. The secretary was directed to make inquiries in connection with the committee's water rights from the Pigburn Creek, with a view to considering the question of providing storage to increase the supply, and Mr James Ritchie was asked to approach the Minister of Public Works on the same matter when he is in the district. The treasurer’s statement showed that while the committee’s maintenance fees for the nine months ended December 31 were considerably behind the amount estimated owing to the extra patients’ accommodation not having been available for occupation earlier in the year, the expenditure, on the other hand, was within the amount provided for in the estimates.—The chairman remarked that the position on the whole was satisfactory, although there would probably have to be an increase in the daily maintenance charge of patients for the ensuing year. Accounts and salaries totalling £1742 8s lid were passed for payment, and the action of Mr Golden and the treasurer, in paying the accounts and salaries in December, amounting to £1413 4s Id, was approved.