DELAY AT THE HOSPITAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 662, 14 May 1929, Page 8

DELAY AT THE HOSPITAL

SOME concern has been occasioned by the disclosure that delay has occurred in the treatment of accident cases at the Auckland Hospital. The complaint applies only to Saturday afternoons, Avhen vigorous ivinter sports create an extraordinary number of major and minor casualties to be handled. On Saturday afternoon an injured footballer had the unpleasant experience of enduring considerable pain for over two hours, while treatment Avas still denied him. The exasperated friend of another injured footballer, similarly situated, telephoned The Sun office. A reporter Avas at once despatched to ascertain the position. Lack of opportunity to secure first-hand statements one Avay or the other from the room-full of waiting casualty cases hampered the reporter in his inquiries, but he was at least able to confirm the original complaint. In the meantime letters have come forAvard showing that the delay on Saturday Avas not an isolated instance. It is, of course, impossible in a place the size of Auckland, Avhere hundreds of young men are engaging each Saturday in active and sometimes dangerous sports, that all patients may be treated without any delay at all. Similarly it would he unreasonable to expect the full medical staff to be retained on duty on Saturdays to handle 'the weekly influx. But the public is certainly entitled to expect that at least adequate medical service shall be aA r ailable, and that some measures shall be taken to make the casualty victims temporarily comfortable on arrival. Dislocated elbows, broken collarbones and broken noses are trifling injuries compared Avith some that may befall the human frame: but they may cause real suffering and unpleasant nausea, aggravated hv cold if the victim has to remain in meagre and possibly damp football garb. Accordingly it is hut a commonplace principle of bene\-olence that alleA'iation should be granted Avith the absolute minimum of delay, and the fact that fractures and dislocations become more intractable with delay places stress upon the principle. If some urgent major operation or other task takes away a doctor assigned to casualty ward duty on a Saturday afternoon, provision should be made to replace him; or if it is through shortage of staff that, the hospital authorities are unable to cope Avith the responsibility, then the controlling board should be inA-ited to consider remedial measures.