Infectious Diseases.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 11998, 21 February 1903, Page 1 (Supplement)

Infectious Diseases.

The Auckland Hospital Board, says the " Herald," have recently been finding difficulty in providing for cases of infectious diseases. The Public Health Act of 1900 shifted ' tho responsibility for such eases from the hospital boards to the local authorities in the shape of city and borough councils, road boards, etc., but in the Auckland district these bodies have not yet provided the necessary hospital accommodation, and, as matters at present stand, there is no provision in Auckland for the treatment of infectious cases.

The erection of an infectious diseases - hospital at Point Chevalier has bee» -under 1 consideration! for some time, but some of ' the local bodies have declined to pay their contributions, and so far their hands have '' not been /forced by. the Government, a ' course which will apparently have to be } taken before the erection of the hospital '• is proceeded with. Meantime the Hospital Board, having by the Public Health Act ! been relieved of the responsibility, made ; their levy on the local bodies accordingly, '. and have in consequence no funds to provide for infectious cases at the general' ■ hospital, and the position now is that there : is no hospital in or neai wie city where infectious cases are treated, though it happens that the district health officer has under observation some six or seven cases of scarlet fever, which, from their surroundings, ought to be at once removed to hospital. At the deputation to Sir Joseph Ward, the Minister held that until the hospital at Point Chevalier has been erected it is the duty of the Hospital Board to provide for the treatment of infectious cases as heretofore, and at the suggestion of Mr J. Bollard, M.H.R., Sir Joseph Ward agreed that the Government 1 would advance £ISOO to the Board to enable them to meet the [ cost of dealing with such cases. This was the most the deputation could get from the Minister, and it now remains to be seen whether the Board will reverse its previous decision and receive infectious cases in the plague hospital, which is, 'for the time being, not otherwise in use. Even were this course taken, the provision would be inadequate for the treatment of even a few cases, for past experienc has shown that owing to lack of space and properaccommodation, a large proportion of the nurses have been laid aside with infectious disease for some time, thus crippling the hospital staff. The difficulty might, however, be got over by putting up tents for the accommodation of the staff. This, in fact, would appear to be the only reasonable solution of the difficulty, but among members of the Hospital Board- opinions seem to 1$ somewhat divided on- the question, some holding that the Board should stand its ground, refuse to take such cases, and so throw the responsibility on the shoulders of the local authorities, who, in strict law, are the responsible parties. lAt a meeting of the Hospital Board on Monday, 19th inst., a communication wasreceived from Dr Makgill, local Health Officer, asking whether the Board intended to erect tents for the temporary treatment of scarlet fever or other cases, pending the I provision of permanent quarters, and point- ; ing out the urgent necessity for taking some action in the matter. The stated that on receipt of Dr Makgill's letter he caused the secretary to reply that no action could be taken till the meeting of that day. Dr Makgill represented the urgency' of certain cases, and suggested that a conference might be held with Sir Joseph Ward. An offer of £ISOO, to be regarded as a loan, was made by Sir Joseph Ward, with the object of coping with the spread of disease. The consideration of this, offer was to have been gone into at a special meeting of the Board, but the withdrawal of a member left them without a quorum, '. and no business could be done. However, i he had two tents erected, considering that : the Board ought to deal with the question from a humanitarian standpoint, although • they were not legally responsible. The l tents were now occupied. The action of 1 the chairman was approved.