-EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1931, Page 9

-EMERGENCY OPERATIONS

ORGANISATION AT HASTINGS

ESTABLISHMENT OF HOSPITAL.

SURGERY PROPERLY PERFORMED.

Statement by superintendent

By Telegraph,—Press Association. ~ : Wellington, Last Night. The chairman of the Hawke’s Bay Hospital Board (Mr. C. 0. Morse) requests the publication of the following - report by Dr. C. Romaine Wright, superintendent of the Hastings emergency hospital:— "Owing to erroneous reports circulated' regarding the manner in which operations were performed there, I have been requested to report shortly on the Hastings emergency hospital's doings on the day of the earthquake, Tuesday, February 3, 1931. “As a start I should like to ettiphas- ; Ise. the fact that the prompt and efficient measures taken would have been absolutely impossible but for the fact < that, the matron (Sister' Williams) and staff of the Royston Hospital wer£ all ready and organised as a complete working unit at the time of the earthquake, and were not disorganized in any , way immediately thereafter.. Their whole staff and equipment were utilised as a nucleus around which the Hastings . emergency hospital came into being. The fact that Royston Hospital was a wellknown private hospital and adjacent to the site of the damage resulted in all the casualties being at once taken there. Within half an hour the large lawn adjoining the hospital was filled with patients to the number of approximately 100. : Each patient requiring it was on arrival immediately given morphia. “Sister Williams and the medical men who were at Royston at the’ time at once realised that some place would have to be found to accommodate and deal with all the casualties. One of these doctors and Mr. H. V. Hoadley made a- hurried visit to the tea kiosk at the Hastings racecourse, which wasjudged to be undamaged, and orders were immediately given for all further cases to be transferred there. Owing to the number of voluntary .lorry drivers ■ who-had also-congregated at the. Royston gates this was possible without delay. Within two. hours of the earthquake every cot case lying on the Royston lawn had been transferred to the ” racecourse, complete with \bed and bedding. “At 1.30 p.m. operations were com- ■' menced in an emergency theatre in the ladies’ cloak room -at the tea kiosk. Sixty-six operations were performed between 1.30 and approximately 10 p.m. Each case had full surgical anaesthesia, and in not one of these cases was anything except sterile dressings used. After- all the casualties had been dealt with an urgent major abdominal operation was performed, and again sterile dressings and instruments were avail- ■ * able. This was rendered possible only by the amazingly efficient organisation of Royston in general, and in particular -- i-i their theatre staff under the charge of ‘ i Sister Cooper. To fully appreciate this achievement one needs to be a medical man. “While the behaviour of everyone was beyond praise I desire to stress most strongly the fact that- the Royston Hospital staff and organisation ' : were the salvation of Hastings. “Turning from the medical and surgical side of the situation I should, like to express the thanks of the committee to those voluntary worker* who appeared as if by magie.and took charge of the various departments incidental to the hospital. Particularly I desire to stress* the value to us of the . voluntary cooks who, without facilities, gave *us an ample . supply of boiling water, immediately provided us with cups of tea and soup during the day, and capped'their efforts with a wonderin ful hot dinner at night.”