TEMUKA HOSPITAL.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXV, Issue 18626, 23 July 1930, Page 2

TEMUKA HOSPITAL.

FOR MATERNITY CASES. OPENING CEREMONY. The maternity hospital recently provided by the South Canterbury Hospital Board was officially declared open yesterday by the Director-General of Health, Dr T. H. A. Valin tine, in the presence of a large attendance of the public. The members of the Board also were present. The chairman, Mr E. McDonald, in addressing the gathering, said the presence of so many of the public was sufficient to indicate that the hospital was really needed, and that they approved of what the Board had done. (Applause.) Temuka’s Demand. Mr McDonald said the question of establishing a maternity hospital at Temuka was first placed before the Board by Mrs Tilbrook. In February 1927, a petition from residents of Temuka and district was presented to the Board requesting the. establishment of a cottage hospital and a maternity home. The. Board set up a committee consisting of Mrs Tilbrook, Messrs E. Hardcastle, E. Macdonald and W. Geddes to meet representatives of various interests at Temuka for the purpose of further considering the question, and reporting thereon to the Board. There were present at this meeting, which was held in March 1927, besides the Board’s representatives, the then Mayor and Mayoress (Mr and Mrs Cartwright), Mr Burnett, M.P., Mr Jamieson and Mrs Armitage. The following recommendation was made to the Board by the Committee. — “That the Board take steps to give effect to the request of the» Temuka delegation that there be provided at Temuka a maternity home providing for five or six beds.” At its meeting during the same month the Board unanimously decided to adopt the report. In the following month representations were made to the Department to give effect to the Board’s decision, an(l a, reply was received from the DirectorGeneral of Health that, although he was very much in favour of the establishment of a maternity hospital, the time was then not opportune to embark on any which could possibly be ded, and he suggested that the matter be brought up again after the winter. The Department was again approached in October, 1927, when a reply was received from Dr Valintine to the effect that the Minister had expressed his approval of the proposal. A small committee was then set up to select a site, and in April, 1928, arrangements were finalised for the purchase of the present site. The site cost £271 7s lOd. In May, 1929, Messrs Turnbull and Rule, of Timaru, were instructed to prepare plans and specifications for a new sixbed maternity hospital. Ministerial approval was finally received in November, 3929, and the architects were instructed to call tenders for the work. The tender of Shillito’s Ltd. of £3,593 was accepted, and a commencement with the erection of the building was made on 27/1/30. The building was completed on Wednesday, 16th inst., furnished and equipped on the 17th, and the first patient was admitted during the afternoon of the same day. The total cost of the hospital would be approximately as follows: —Land and building (including »architects’ fees) £4 064, furnishings and equipment £600; total £4,664. Mr McDonald stated that in 1926 there were 107 births in Temuka: in 1927, 108; in 1928, 96; and in 1929, 100.

Apologies were received from Mrs Armitage, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy (Minister for Health), Mr T. D. Burnett M.P., Mr K. Mackenzie (chairman of f he Geraldine County Council), Mr ' J. Talbot (chairman of the Mackenzie County Council), Mr T. Gunnion (Mayor of Temuka), Mr W. Angland (Mayor of Timaru). Dr Valintine’s Address. On being invited to perform the official opening the Director-General of Health, Dr Valintine, was received with warm applause. At the outset he said he was very sorry that the Mayor of Temuka, Mr Gunnion, owing to illness, was not able to be present. “I have known him,” said Dr Valintine, “as he is known throughout the length and breadth of this land for a number of years. I wish him a speedy recovery from the illness which prevented him from being here to-day. (Applause.) Continuing Dr Valintine said: “It gives me tremendous pleasure to be here to meet members of the South Canterbury Hospital Board, and also the people of South Canterbury. The Board has done a wonderful service as regards maternity hospitals, in as much as that Timaru, Geraldine and Fairlie have been provided with their maternity hospitals, and now Temuka has its hospital. Thus you have 31 beds for a population of 25,000 people. Timaru has 15 beds, Geraldine 6, Fairlie 4, and Temuka 6. That I think is a record in this country as regards maternity beds in a hospital district. Indeed your Board has faithfully followed out the policy of the Department with regard to the establishment of these hospitals. In addition to the seven St. Helen’s Hospitals, there are now 27 maternity hospitals under the control of Hospital Boards. In these maternity hospitals in 1929 there were 7,062 confinements of a total of 27,341 confinements in the Dominion. According to the Gvoernment statistician, in 1929 the general death rate for maternity was 4.82 per 1000. In our St. Helens Hospitals the death rate was 2.08 per 1000. In the maternity hospitals under hospital boards the death rate was 3.27 per 1000. Therefore in St. Helens and the maternity hospitals the mortality rate is 2.6 per 1000 as against 4.8 per 1000 over the whole of New Zealand. This shows the good work done by the St. Helens Hospitals and other public maternity hospitals. Medical Students. “Now,” said Dr Valintine, “it may not be inopportune here to refer to some statements and resolutions which you may have seen in the Press, of the Dominion, to the effect that the confinements in the St. Helens Hospitals should be conducted by the medical officers in control of those institutions or the midwives under their direction, and that no medical students be allowed to conduct any of the confinements. Let me tell you that for the-last ten or even more years, medical students have been attending St. Helens’ Hospitals, and conducting confinements under the supervision of the medical superintendents thereof, and there have been practically no objections to the ministrations of these students. It is not as if these students were mere boys. They have done five or Six years* work in our hospitals if not more. In a year from their St. Helens experience they may be in private practice in the Dominion. How then can we reasonably countenance the objection to their being properly trained? They are the future medical men of the Dominion. Let me tell you that of 1,382 doctors on the New Zealand Medical Register no fewer than 672 were trained at the Otago Medical School. Very nearly half. If these students cannot attend confinements at St. Helens’ and other maternity hospitals, where theh can they be trained? The position is ridiculous. New Zealand students .have to obtain their experience here, not only in medicine and surgery, but also in midwifery. Are we to deny them the facilities for obtaining experience in this important branch of their art in this their own land? It has been stated that the late Mr Seddon, when he founded St. Helens some twenty-five years ago said that St. Helens Hosiptals were to be used for the training of midwives. That is perfectly true.

But in those days the number oi doctors trained in New Zealand was practically negligible. Now, as I have stated, nearly 50 per cent, are trained in this country. I had the honour to know the late Mr Seddon very well. He was far too great a statesman and had naturally far too big an outlook on affairs to deny to the young New Zealander in this the land of his birth, the training which is so necessary for him in the science and art of mid-wifery. Hospital Beds. In 1910 the number of beds provided in public hospitals in New Zealand was 3,218 or 3.1 per thousand of the population. In 1929 the number of beds provided in public hospitals was 8,457 or 5.8 per thousand of the population, an increase relative to population of not less than 148 per cent, in eighteen years The gross annual maintenance cost of public hospitals had in the same period increased from £200,691 to the sum of £1,206,190 for last year Per head of the population, hospital maintenance gross expenditure was 3s lid in 1910, and 16s 6d in 1929. In j 1910 there was an amount of £45,000 collected In patients fees, while for 1929 over £350,000 was collected. His Resignation. Now some of you may know that I put in my resignation as head of this Department, and I had meant to announce it to-day at this meeting, but it was decided otherwise. I have held this appointment since January 1907, nearly twenty-four years. The reason of my resignation is because I had long decided to resign on my sixtyfifth birthday which takes place next month, and on the Ist of next monjh I will hand in my resignation to the Minister. Need I emphasise my regrets at giving up this, my life’s work, but time must be served as well as hospitals. At my age, and considering how I have been knocked about physically, as well as in other ways, I am informed by my physicians that for a man of my years I am extraordinarily healthy. Nevertheless I would be a fool to think I could with advantage, continue to direct the activities of the Department, and Hospital Boards of the Dominion. But, believe me, I would not give in my resignation even now if I was not confident that I was handing over my trust to a better man in every way than I have been. In Dr Watt, a New Zealander by birth, the Department and country will have one of the mdst capable and most brilliant medical men to direct this great Department of State. Dr Watt has ever been loyal to me, as, have been the officers of my Department, and I leave my Department with many of the officers more than‘just ordinary officials to me. I also give up my work with Hospital Boards with the deepest regret. In spite of my many vagaries, eccentricities and faults, the Hospitals Boards have been most loyal to me in helping me to build up a hospital system in this country that is second to none in the world.” ‘‘l am proud,” said Dr Valentine in conclusion, “to have been associated with the Hospital Boards of this Dominion. They have helped me by their courtesies and their fair play to give New Zealand the very best hospital service in the whole world. I say that with absolute conviction after going round the hospitals in Prance, Great Britain and some parts of America.” (Applause). Declaring the hospital open, Dr Valintine said amid laughter, “I know of no maternity hospital which has been so rapidly taken advantage of. This hospital was opened last Thursday, and now there are three babies in it. That speaks very well, not only for Temuka, but for the whole of South Canterbury. See that you continue to use it." Applause and laughter.) The chairman of the Board announced that the members had donated a silver mug to be given to the first baby born in the hospital. Mr A. W. Buzan, deputy-Mayor of Temuka, and Mr P. Chittock representing the Borough of Timaru, each congratulated the Hospital Board and the residents of Temuka, upon having such a fine hospital in that district. The public were given an opportunity of visiting and inspecting the institution, after which afternoon tea was dispensed.