HOSPITAL BOARD.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18545, 16 April 1930, Page 4

HOSPITAL BOARD.

ANNUAL MEETING, The annual meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital Board was held at the Waimate Borough Council Chambers yesterday. Present:—Mr E. Macdonald (chairman), Mrs E. M. Tilbrook, Messrs A. Goodall, T. Brown, B. R. Macdonald, W. Geddes, G. Dash, R. S. Griffiths and J. T. Hay. Old People’s Home. The master of the Old People’s Home (Mr E. Laverty) reported that admissions and discharges at the institution during the month totalled 26 and 29 respectively, the number remaining at March 31 being 45. The general health of the inmates had been good. The United Choristers had given a very enjoyable concert and supper. Thanks were due to the following for gifts in kind:—Mesdames Chapman, Hurdley, Andrews. Barker, Kerr, Fleming and Cross, Misses Pilbrow, Hassall and Pigeon, Messrs Leslie and Renton, Salvation Army, ‘‘Timaru Herald,” and ‘‘Timaru Post.” The report was adopted, and thanks were accorded the donors of gifts. House Committee. ; fhe chairman presented the report Of the House Committee as follows: The Executive of the Hospital Boards’ Association wrote regarding a resolution of the British Medical Association, that Hospital Boards request Medical Superintendents of Hospitals to give facilities to private medical practitioners to obtain information from local hospitals in regard to previous treatment of patients; especially operations. The Medical Superintendent informed the Committee that this information was always available. The Director-General of Health wrote asking for plans and specifications of the new Timaru Hospital ouildings, to enable a report to be rotide to the Loans Board in connection with this Board’s application for .sanction to borrow £47,000. In this connection the architects submitted complete plans of the administration block, and these were being referred .0 the Building Committee after consultation with Mr Allan. Recommendation: That the chairman and medical ■superintendent be authorised to visit Wellington to discuss the plans with the Director-General. Appointment of clerk typiste, Timaru Hospital:—Thirty-two applications were received, and the Committee recommended that Miss Joyce Macdonald be appointed. Appointment of Sister in Charge, Temuka Maternity Hospital:—Ten applications were received, and it was recommended that, subject to the approval of the Minister of Health, the position be offered to Mrs I. J. H. Eoyes, Wellington. National Hospital Day, 12th. May:— Recommendation; That this anniversary be commemorated as foffows: (a) Re-union of nurses; (b) Visits of secondary school children to hospitals; (c) Requests to ministers to preach appropriate sermons on the Sunday preceding; (d) Requests to editors of newspapers to write and publish appropriate articles. The report was adopted. Social Service. The report of the Social Service Committee, as presented by Mr Griffiths, was as follows: Only one new application for assistance was received, and granted, at a cost of 32/-. Further temporary assistance was granted in fifteen oases at a cost of £39/1/-. Four cases were reviewed. It was decided to continue assistance in two cases. In another case, assistance was increased to 15/- per week, and in the remaining case, assistance at the rate of 25/- per week was stopped. An application for the admission of a South Canterbury patient to Queen Mary Hospital, Hanmer, was considered and approved. Two unempioyed were granted five days’ work at Talbot at a cost of £3. The report was adopted. Finance Committee. The chairman of the Finance Committee (Mr Dash) submitted the following report:— The Director-General of Health advised that the Minister had approved of a bank overdraft, not exceeding £4OOO, to meet maintenance and capital payments during the first three months of the financial year. The Waipiata Sanatorium Committee advised that its capital levy on this Board for the ensuing year v/oud be £1,197, and that it had been able to reduce the daily charges per patient to each Board to 7/-.

Timaru Hospital Loan, £47,000:—A letter was received from the Secretary, Local Government Loans Board, suggesting that the interest rate shown on the Board’s application form be altered to 53 per cent. It should be noted 5h per cent, was decided on by the Board before the Government increased its rate for its own offerings. Recommendation: That the rate of interest be increased to 53 per cent., as suggested by the Loans Board. Donation of funds to the New Zealand Obstetrical Society:—A letter was received from the Timaru branch of the Society requesting a donation. At its last meeting the Committee decided to recommend that a donation of £5 be made, subject to the Minister’s consent. A letter had now been received from the Director-General of Health stating that there was no statutory provision enabling the ?3oard to make such a donation, and expressing the opinion that Boards should refrain from making grants for th* purpose mentioned, in view of the fa -i -hat its ordinary funds were found by the contributory local authorities, and by the Government, from both cl which sources assistance was also being obtained for the endowment of the Chair of Obstetrics.—ln view of this, the Committee had no recommendation to make.

Tenders for supplies:—At the last meeting of the Committee it was necessary to hold over tenders for certain supplies. The following tenders had now been accepted:—Meat, Grant and Seaton, schedule rates; fish, W. Ritchie and Sons, schedule rates;’ coal, Westport Coal Co., Ltd., schedule rates. Requisitions submitted by the House Committee for accessories to Diathemy outfit and dental chair, at an estimated cost of £75, were approved. Accounts amounting to £4,273/5/4 were passed for payment. The report was adopted. Waipiata Sanatorium. The chairman stated that he had attended the monthly meeting- of the Waipiata Sanatorium Committee when the meeting had discussed the proposal to allow the Otago Board amalgamation with the Waipiata Committee. It appeared that the Otago Board had not been anxious to co-operate with Waipiata, and the latter were quite ready to carry on as at present. It had been left to representatives to discuss the matter with their Boards, and he already knew that South Canterbury did rot favour affiliation with Otago. The waiting list for the institution totalled 48, made up as follows: South Canterbury 15, Southland 13, Ashburton 2, Waitaki 10, South Otago 4, and Wallace 4. Mr B. R. Macdonald asked if some;hing could not be done for patients . ho .were waiting for admission to I vvuipuua. It was known that people

with the disease were affecting others while waiting for admission. The Board had endeavoured to establish a waiting home outside Timaru a few years ago, but the Government had refused to sanction the proposal. Some system of treating patients in their own homes might be considered, as he had heard from one medical man that attention in this direction was product!’. c of excellent results. There were about a dozen cases around Geraldine who would appreciate such treatment.

The chairman said that with the additional accommodation at Waipiata. it was hoped shortly to make the waiting list a thing of the past. In the meantime, waiting cases could be assured of treatment at Timaru Hospital, and he did not think the Government would view the application for a waiting home with any favour. It was pleasing, said Mr McDonald, to see that the levy for patients at Waipiata had been reduced from 7/6 to 7/- per day. The average cost per

occupied bed for the year would now be £l2B, and this compared favourably with any other institution In New Zaland. "Visit lo Hospital. Members were the guests of the Waimate Hospital Committee to lunch, and in the afternoon paid a visit of inspection to Waimate Hospital, where they were much impressed with the work of the institution. Afternoon-tea was provided. The chairman, in acknowledging the hospitality of the Waimate Committee, saicl that the trip had been greatly enjoyed by members. He saicl that it had been customary to hold the annual meeting at Waimate, but it would suit the office staff much better if the annual meeting was held in Timaru, and the Board visited Waimate some other time. The chairman of the Waimate Committee (Mr Geddes) said that his Committee were always pleased to have a visit from the Board, and did not desire any special month.