BIG EXPENDITURE

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19805, 6 December 1938, Page 4

BIG EXPENDITURE

HOSPITALS IN EUROPE ADVANCE IN SURGERY CHEST & HEART TROUBLES GISBORNE DOCTOR'S VIEW Heavy expenditure on hospitals in England and Europe and advances in certain branches of surgery were commented upon by Dr. R. J. B. Hall, medical superintendent of the Cook Hospital, who with Dr. Theodora Hall has just returned from a visit abroad. Dealing with hospital expenditure, Dr. Hall said that criticism of those in charge of the work of improving our hospitals in New Zealand was not justified when one saw what had been spent on hospitals in other parts of the world.

He considered that the expenditure contemplated on the Auckland and Wellington hospitals was reasonable, and when completed they would compare with the largest hospitals in other countries.

While on his tour extending over seven months, Dr. Hall and his wife attended the B.M.A. conference in Plymouth, and then visited Ireland, Amsterdam, Berlin, Hamburg, Sweden, Norway and Scotland.

Tuberculosis Treatment

In London, Dr. Hall said, the major surgical advances were in chest surgery, especially in the treatment of selected cases of tuberculosis and other chronic rung diseases, successful operations in connection with some of the chronic lung diseases even extending to the removal of a complete lung on one side.

Cardio-vascular surgery, referring rnaihiy to the heart, has produced satisfactory results in carefully selected cases of high blood pressure and in the disease of the coronary arteries and angina pectoris.

In bone surgery, especially in fractures of the hip joint, modern methods allowing of ambulatory treatment after a very short period of recumbency had been especially satisfactory for older people, in whom that type of fracture was common.

Rebuilding Hospitals

Much money was being spent in the rebuilding of hospitals in London, and a great improvement had taken place in bettering the living conditions for nurses and adding to their comforts at those hospitals. At St. Bartholomew's Hospital, where there were from 300 to 400 nurses, a new nurses' home had been built, and each girl was given a room to herself with running hot and cold water, and large built-in wardrobe and book case. Hair-drying machines were installed on each floor for the nurses' use, and a permanent hairdresser was employed. The cost was £4BO per bedroom. That hospital was right in the heart of London, next to the G.P.O. and adjacent to the Smithfield meat markets, and in addition to the facilities mentioned the nurses also were provided with a gymnasium and swimming bath.

On the Continent, through the International Hospital Association, he was given facilities of visiting some of the important hospitals, including the Wilhelmina Hospital, Amsterdam, which had 2000 beds, the Martin Luther Krankenhaus, Berlin, the most modern hospital in the city, and the Hafen Krankenhaus, Hamburg, which dealt wUh an enormous number of accident cases from the waterfront, near which it is situated.

Original Ultra Violet Light

In Copenhagen he visited the University Hospital and the Finsen Institute, the home of the original ultraviolet light. At the Finsen Institute much radium treatment was carried out for malignant disease.

The Carolina Hospital, Stockholm, which was to be the new university clinic, was visited, and the New Zealanders were shown over the premises by' Professor Einar Key. It was explained that when completed the building would accommodate 1500 patients and probably would be one of-the most modern hospitals in the world. The patients would be accom- , modated in one, two and four-bed wards. On the same grounds, already completed, was. Radium Hammet (Radium Home), a modern place which was regarded as one of the most up-to-date in the treatment of malignant diseases by radium.

Some of the older hospitals were also visited, including the Maria Sjukhus and Serafima Lasseret. They were very large places, and were to be rebuilt.

Dr. Hall was interested to note that the Swedish work was very up-to-date, and large numbers of surgeons travelled from America,' England, Scotland and many other parts of the world to visit the clinics in Stockholm and Scandinavia generally. Fees in Sweden The fees paid in Swedish hospitals were about two kroner a day, a kroner equalling a fraction more than Is in English currency. The remaider of the cost was met by the municipality. The only private hospital he saw was the Red Cross home in Stockholm. It was a most up-to-date place. The fees there were from 12 to 18 kroner a day, plus the fees of the medical attendants.

Right throughout the tour, Dr. Hall found the standard of hospital service very high. He was very hospitably received by the medical profession, and was given every facility to inspect .the hospitals and their equipment.