NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 145999, 4 December 1917, Page 2

NEW PLYMOUTH HOSPITAL.

INSPECTOR-GENERAL’S IMPRESSIONS. Dr. T. H. A. Valintine, InspectorGeneral of Hoispitals, has been on an official visit to Lew Plymouth during the past few days and in the course of, an interview with a Herald representative he spoke in high terms of praise of the New Plymouth Hospital and the work that is being done at the institution. The Inspector-General said he had had occasion to visit a good many of* our public institutions recently and without exception he had not found any institution where matters were working so well and so harmoniously aa they were at New Plymouth. One thing that was particularly noticeable, said Dr. Valintine, was the cordial relationship existing between the members of the medical and nursing staff, who by cooperation had brought matters as regards the treatment of tbe sick to a very high state of perfection.

It was evident, too, continued Dr. Valintine, from the number of acute cases in the hospital, that every car© was exercised in the direction of observing the interests of the ratepayers as well as the patients, for alt the cases under treatment were genuine hospital cases and not, as was the case in many other hospitals, where the patients were mostly chronic cases who might with advantage be treated ia their own-homes or in some other form of institution. “Indeed’,” 1 regard thi. residents of tho Taranaki district,” he said, “as being most fortunately circumstanced as regards hospital matters,”

One great feature in oormectiomwith the hospital fhai he found had not been sufficiently recognised was the splendid work done in the X-ray department, under the charge of Dr. LeatKam. Dr. Leatham’s work was well known #o the profession so much so that he had been appointed expert to ' the' Public Health Department, so that his services and great experience could he utilised for the benefit of other hospitals in tho Dominion and by which meant it was hoped-that the xay departments in these hospitals would soon bo brought up to a high state of efficiency also. It was extremely .interesting to sea the excellent results obtained through tho co-operation between the surgeons under the direction of the medical superintendent (Dr. AValker) -and tho X-ray department. Cases of a doubtful nature were subjected to the Xrays and as a result the disease was promptly located and therefore the surgeon, knew exactly what to do as regards operative treatment. “I can confidently say,” continued Dr. Yalintine, “and this opinion is endorsed by other, medical men who havo had an opportunity of seeing the work done at the hospital, that the New Plymouth institution is most certainly in the very forefront of the hospitals of the Dominion, not only as regards being up-to-date in design, but also as regards treatment. Altogether it reflects .great credit on the district and I am sure the public will not be niggardly as regards allowing the board the necessary money to keep* the institution in its present proud position.” Considerable extensions are needed, especially in the direction of the erection of a nurses’ home. It was only right that nurses should be comfortably housed, but no hospital of the size of New Plymouth was so badly provided for as regards its_ nursing staff than was the local hospital. He was sure the. Taranaki public did not like to see this, and that the general opinion was that accommodation' on similar lines to that of Palmerston North, Wanganui and Nelson should be erected. He was glad to see that the isolation block, tho lack of which had been a great drawback,' had been adequately provided for in the bid hospital buildings, where the wards had been well renovated and were admirably fitted for the accommodation of cases of infectious disease.

Dr. Valintine said- he would like to see provision made for maternity cases, as there was no doubt that with the present, awful wastage of human life every possible means should be taken to give” facilities for maternity. In this connection he was delighted to read in the Herald recently an address by Dr. Walker, in which he drew the attention of the public to the enormous importance of not only saving infant life but of giving every facility in the direction of increasing the birth-rate, which unfortunately was the lowest or all the British Dominions. Dr. Valintine ' referred to the extraordinary measures which it was evident were being taken by Germany in this connection, so that she would he prepared for the next war, and went on to say that if the British Dominions shut their eyes to the necessity for taking some such measures then the Empire would he in a very bad way. There was no doubt that as Dr. Walker stated in his address the safety of our splendid Empire and the decision as to whether at was to continue the heneficient work that it had initiated, rests with the women of the 'Empire.