DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3005, 18 October 1911, Page 4

DUNEDIN HOSPITAL.

SUPERINTENDENT'S ANNUAL REPORT • At last week's meeting of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board the superintendent's annual report on the medical department of the Hospital for the year ending March 31 was received.'- "It reads as follows: — I drew the attention of your board in my last annual report to the necessity for fur--ther provision being made for cases of confirmed phthisis, infectious disease, chronic disease, delirium tremens, incipient mental disease, and children's diseases. Arising out of that report I recommended, in April, 1910, a site of 50 acres at Pine Hill as suitable for a. secondary hospital (as suggested by Dr Colquboun) that would undertake the treatment of all classes of disease inadequately provided for at present. In recommending a site, I consider the position should be' the healthiest possible, free from dust, fog, and noisy street traffic, and the area such as would meet the future hospital requirements of the next 100 years and more.' In addition,■ piroximity to the city was necessary if the Medical School was to be retained at Duncdin. I considered that all future hospital buildings, such as a women's hospital and children's hospital, should be erected thereon, and eventually the primary hospital itself transferred from its restricted site by a future generation. For the sake of economy and efficiency the. modern view is to centralise as much as possible medical institutions in one hospital area, at the same time strictly preserving their individuality. This principle is being adopted in Berlin, Rome, Mexico City, and New York. In the latter city an island two miles in length has been mapped off as a "hospital city," and the buildings will be erected as required. If we adopt this plan now the relative cost must neoess.arily be increased during the transition stageAn alternative scheme to the immediate provision of a new secondary hospital was propounded by the Inspector-general (Dr Valintime), in which the proposal was mad© to remove the old people from the Benevolent Institution to an Old Man's Home at Palmerston, thus freeing Caversiham Institution for use as a temporary secondary hospital, which purpose it is partly fulfilling at present. This course would probably bo more economical than what I have advocated. It would necessitate purchasing extra land at Palmerston. in which case provision for advanced consumption could then be made there, which it is impossible at present to arrange for on the present sanatorium site. I am aware that the difference in medical opinion offered the board has caused longer delay than was anticipated. Immediate action, however, is now imperative i r a hospital scandal is to be avoided.

The bacteriological department (under Dr Champtalo.upj and the X-ray department (under Dr Cameron) were reorganised and fully equipped during the year, resulting in a decided gain to the scientific diagnosis and treatment of disease The Government and the Otago University share with us the expenses of the former department. The latter department was provided by the Hospital Saturday Association, which likewise supplied an urgent want at the Hospital by providing the casualty receiving room and the waiting room for patients' friends, which were opened in August, 1910, by the Governor (Lord Islington).

An extra house surgeon at the Hospital was appointed on August 1, 1910, and the duty of visiting the chronic hospital wardi at Caversham and the fever hospital at Logan's Point was taken over,' while both institutions were afterwards staffed by sisters-in-oharge, sent for six months' duty from the main Hc6pital. The changes in the personnel of the nijrsing staff from April 1,1909, to March 31, 1910, were as follow : —New probationers—Misses Margaret Heenan, A. M. Reid, Margaret Burnett, Georgina Lawson, Louisa Gibson, Hetty Sawell, Ethel Ewing, Eliz. Jack, Marie Clark, Margaret Ku-k, Margaret M'Donald, E. H. Bell, Elsie Owen, Sarah Milligan, Margaret Smaill, Florence Adams, Mary Anderson, Rnily Lownian, Jessie Mercer, Ethel Bowden, Annie Rose, Mary Flannery, M. C. Milligan, Annie Roy, Mary Hancock, W. J. Torrance, Ethel Eraser, and Amy Don. The following appointments were made: —Nurse Peulah Guffie, Nurse Evelyn Nosworthy, and Nurse Grace Calder were appointed sisters. Misses Bukly, Parlance; and Carmiohael were also appointed sisters. Miss Veitoh retired from.office in February, 1911. The other resignations were:—Sister Kelly, Nurses O. Grave, Fleming, Blackie, M. Wilson, Wix, Cook, Munro, Cruickshank, Moore, Campbell M'Knight, Sawell, Woodward, Jeffrey, and Flannery. At the final examination, held in June and December, 1910, the following nurses passed:—Nurses Dora Moore, Letitia Campbell, Eliza M'Knight, Grace Calder, Isabella Cruiokshankj Evelyn Nosworthy, Minnie Jeffrey, Catherine Ferguson, Lucy Hayward, Mabel Stewart, Annie Clark, and Annie M'Lean. These nurses also passed the final State examination. The following nurses have served in the chronic hospital during the year:—Nurses M'Kenzie, Tubman, Heenan, Lawson, Jack, M. Clark, Kirke, M'Donald, S. Milligan, Andei-son, Ingliis, Bowden, Mercer, Pilkington, Lowman, Scaife, Rose, Roy, Godby, and Gibson. The following

nurses have served at the sanatorium : Nurses Ewing, Jack, Dewar, Wilkie, Smaill, E. Brown, Hancock, and M'Lean. The economy of the institution came under my jurisdiction during the second half of the financial year. Mr Dowries (house steward) was enabled during' the last half year to effeot a considerable saving (£160) in the meat expenditure, etc. Owing to the multiplicity of messrooms a considerable wastage of food had been occurring. This was curtailed as far as possible, and the institution this month (September, 1911) of a common dining room for the domestic staff and employees will effiact its disappearance. Compared with other institutions, we have been considerably handicapped by the want of a proper storeroom and also of cool storage. This is now in process of being rectified. It is a matter of common knowledge among hospital authorities that the Dunedin Hospital has one of the most varied and liberal dietary scales in the Dominion. The presence of a medical school ie recognised in England and America as increasing the cost -per capita of the patients, and such institutions are placed for comparison in a class by themselves. The report was received, and referred to the committees interested.