INFECTIOUS DISEASES BLOCK

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 674, 28 May 1929, Page 1

INFECTIOUS DISEASES BLOCK

Plans Yet To Be Finalised

MEALS AND NURSES’ QUARTERS

ALTHOUGH preparations for the work of constructing the Auckland Hospital’s new infectious diseases block in the hospital reserve have already begun, the board has yet to make a decision which will affect the size and, possibly, the nature of the building.

fpHIS morning The Sun was informed that the plans for the new block had been approved by both the board and the Health Department, but alternative proposals were yet to be discussed. These concerned plans and estimates for either one or two extra wards, and were now being considered by the building committee. When asked to discuss the details of the new building, and its facilities as a safe and suitable place for the Isolation and treatment of infectious diseases, Mr. W. Wallace, chairman of the board, said the whole question was still in committee and had yet to be finalised by the board. It was possible that there might yet be some modification of the plans, but he preferred not to make any full statement of the position. The questions asked by The Sun were:

attached to each ward, but a certain amount of food would have to be supplied from the main hospital kitchen, Probably the main meal of the day would come from the hospital kitchen, but the lighter meals could be prepared in the infectious diseases block. At present, meals for infectious diseases patients—scarlet fever and diphtheria cases-—were prepared in the hospital kitchen and conveyed to the wards in insulated containers which retained the heat. Mr. E. H, Potter, member of the Hospital Board, explained that the plans for the new block had been approved by the board and the Department, but the architect had been asked to furnish plans and estimates for two extra wards. If these were adopted, one of the wards, probably, would be set aside for nurses’ quarters. If they were not adopted it was the intention of the board to arrange for a suitable building for use as a temporary nurses’ quarters in times of necessity. The reason why the board did not allow influenza cases to be sent from the Maui Pomare to the Auckland Hospital was that it was impossible to isolate the nurses in attendance. Although a certain amount of food might be prepared in the main hospital kitchen the infectious diseases block could be regarded as absolutely isolated. When the soldier cases were in the Domain, food was prepared and forwarded to them by means of an overhead trolley wire. Now that the roads were in excellent order there would be no difficulty about conveying the food to the new block. “A building entirely self-contained would cost about £25,000 a year,” said Mr. Potter.

Would special and isolated accommodation be provided for nurses assigned to the infectious diseases block? Would the block be self-con-tained and isolated in respect of the food supplies for the patients? If the block was not completely self-contained would it be, in effect, any different from an ordinary supplementary hospital ward? Mr. Wallace said there had been several suggestions about accommodation for nurses, hut the question was still In committee. At present there was accommodation for nurses in the scarlet fever ward. Never in the Auckland Hospital had there been a case of Infection conveyed by a nurse from an infectious disease ward. MEALS TRANSPORTED In the plans for the new block, space was provided for a kitchenette