HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

Temuka Leader, Issue 4001, 22 January 1903, Page 4

HOSPITALS AND CHARITABLE AID BOARD.

The monthly, meeting ojE, .the-.,5911& Canterbury Hospital and ijhai - it&blo Aid Board was held at Timaru on Tuesday, Mr J. Talbot in the chair. The Chairman stated, inter: . alia, that the balance in the bank was £1321 8s 4d. Payments to be made Hospital £3OO 5s 3d, charitable , aid£l96 6s Cd, towards nurses' quarters £400; these leaving a balance of £414 16s. The subsidy of £ISOO, with the credit balance, would have to Carry them on till fresh funds came y next year, and apparently it Would be- sufficient to make ends meet. At the last meeting they had before them one or two isolated cases of scarlet fever. Since then, unfortunately, there had been something like an epidemic, not only here but all over the colony It had also happened, unfortunately, when tho Board were least prepared to deal .with it. It seemed to bo thought that the hospital Board are under obligation to provide for these cases, but that was an entire mistake. ; Epidemics were quite beypng ordinary hospital The duty *of providing for such cases by.h}\y falls, on /the various ( local ‘l’lie hospital Board /Would, ;ipf: course ‘try to meet them, and was*(doing:tad.’Regarding the progress made with tho buildings, the ‘memberiii would, of course, bo anxious , : to thorn finished as quickly as possiblo. The architect informed him that khey would be finished in contract time, and that tjio;,nurses' quarters would be out of hakdk in a month. The completion of the feverward might be delayed through having to;; get - the' sanitary appliances from Hdlne, biit a long time was giveh to tHe cotitractor on ! that account. Since last inefcting ton- * ders had been received and-; ‘accepted for supplies. / , J The House Steward reported that at the date of the last return there were 28 patients in the hospital, 17 male and 1.1 (female;’ during December 32 were admitted, 22 male and 10 female,, making 60 treated2!) were discharged during the month, leaving ing 31 in hospital; 23 out-patients, had also been treated/

Dr Gabites, resident surgeon, reported that since last meeting, in deference to the wishes of the' board, certain cases of scarlet fever had been treated outside. A small cottage was procured, the only one obtainable, and these cases, all from public houses or boarding-houses, had been dealt with Owing to cases of scarlet fever occurring in the general wards, it was deemed advisable in the interests of patients to close the wards to visitors. Both patients and their freiends fully realised the necessity for this extreme measure, consequently, though it was anticipated that some trouble would arise, everything has gone smoothly. In reply to a question, Dr Gabites said the scarlet fever cases in the hospital were now convalescent. : Mr Gillingham quoted from section 30 of the Public Health Act to show that it is the duty of local bodies /County and Borough Councils) to' make provision for the treatment of infectious diseases ; all the expense is thrown upon the local (Authorities. He did not point this out as objecting to what the board had done, but to point out to the local bodies that the Hospital Board is not the body that is liable, a false impression of that sort being prevalent. Mr Graigie said that before the fever ward was dismantled they took in! cases and it was agread that if any cases occurred this board should do its best under the circumstances to deal with them, and that was) what; they were doing. The chairman thought they were acting generously in taking a responsibility that the law d d not place upon them. Mr Butler .said the matter was surrounded with difficulties. The public should be warned against relying upon the central authority, and he thought they should make provision for (themselves. They should not expect every local body to provide a hospital for epidemics. -

The matter was further discussed and then dropped. A message was received frem the Sergeant of Police, 1 stating that a: man had been found dead at one of the hotels, and asked the Board to bear the expense of the funeral.

It was decided to decline the request as the man had not been a charitable aid recipient during life. A request by a Temuka resident resident that! the Board wounl guarantee the expenses of the treatment of a ladi his son, at Dunedin hospital for and. injury to the eye was granted .on .condition ( that hse gives the Board a guarantee of repayment., Objection was made because he "brought the boy to the Timaru hospital, where the ■ injury could have been treated, and then took him away to Dundin, but he showed ; that he did this under a misunderstanding of something that was said !t(o b|hn by ione of theinursesi he mistaking some in-: formation given him as a direction. If the Board, did as he requested it would save him 7s a week, A few charitable aid cases were dealt with;

It was agreed to admit an old man at Waimate into the Home, and to make’ an allowance of ss‘ a week to a widower towards the maintenance of two children. .. Regarding a widow with . seven children at Waimate it was decided to make enquiries regarding tho use of a subscription that had been made for the family. Constable "Barrett, Pleasant Point, reported , ! on a family in need there —man) wife’-’, and hin4 children, the man just out of the hospital after 9 weeks' stay there and still unable to work, One of the children down with scarlet fever, and credit stopped at the stores. He had given them a provisional order, for 10s worth of food. The Secretary was instructed to make a personal investigation: and report, affording relief in the meantime. Accounts weee passed, and the Board then rose.