ABUSIVE VISITORS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3768, 1 June 1926, Page 18

ABUSIVE VISITORS.

HOSPITAL PORTER ASSAULTED. A CHRISTCHURCH INCIDENT. CHRISTCHURCH, May 2b. The fact that a porter at the hospital received a black eye from one visitor and a blow on the mouth from another was mentioned at the meeting of the North Canterbury Hospital Board to-day. From what was said around the board table visitors have been abusive and have flouted hospital discipline to the consternation of the staff and to the inconvenience of the patients. By way of counteracting this attitude on the part of some members of the public, the board has been compelled to reduce the visiting day*. . Mr W. E. Leadley asked the chairman (Mr H. J. Otley) if the limitation of visiting days to Wednesdays and Sundays had been approved by the Hospital Committee At present visitors were allowed in every day and the cut was too drastic. Mr H. H. Holland (chairman of the Hospital Committee) said that there had been abuses by the public and a counter-action was desirable. Mrs A. E Herbert said that the privilege had been grossly abused and the health of the patients had suffered People had made a habit of asking for admission tickets which belonged to patient* other than those to be visited. Thus it happened that there were as many as five visitors around one patient, and none around the others. A visitor had struck the porter and blackened hi* eye. A man wont alon** the other evening and, following an effort to get into a ward, struck the Dorter on the mouth. Some people went to the inquiry office and asked if they could get into a ward. When told that they must come in the proper visiting hours they retorted. “We will see if we can’t get in.” Patient* could not be attended to if the wards were full of visitors. When the bell was sounded visitors made no effort ta leave, and every evening a porter had to eo ®nd order people out. of the wards. He had to look in all kinds of corners for them, so Dr W. Fox (the medical superintendent) had asked for a curtailment of the hours for visiting as a protest It was decided to leave the arrangement to the chairman of the Hospital Committee on his promise that visiting would be allowed on three days a week.