HOSPITAL BOARD

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19623, 18 October 1933, Page 12

HOSPITAL BOARD

MONTHLY MEETING SOCIAL SERVICE WORK Tlie monthly meeting of the South Canterbury Hospital Board was held yesterday. Present—Mr E. Macdonald (chairman - *, Mrs B. Hewson. Messrs B. R. Macdonald, H. G. Clark, J. Kennedy, G. Saunders. G. Dash, J. Dempsey. G. D. Selbie, J. T. Hay. The chairman expressed pleasure at the return to the Board table, after illness, of Mr Macdonald and Mr Clark. Both members acknowledged the chairman’s remarks, and Mr Saunders also expressed appreciation of a letter from the Board received by him when he was away ill. A letter was received from Mr A. ! Goodall. a former member of the ; Board, expressing appreciation of the attention of the medical and nursing i staff of the hospital during his recent ! illness. Hospital Staff. | Letters were received from the following intimating acceptance of posi- | tions on the part-time medical staff iof the Timaru Hospital: Dr. W. H. ! Unwin (senior surgeon). Dr. S. Fraser I (junior surgeon ), Dr. L. S. Talbot (eye, j ear. nose and throat specialist), and ‘Dr. R. D. King (physician). Stamp Scrip Plan. j A letter was received requesting the I Board to appoint delegates to attend a I meeting to-morrow night to consider | the stamp scrip plan in its application J to Timaru. j Messrs Clark and Selbie were {'appointed to represent the Board. Old People’s Home. The Master of the Old People’s Home (Mr E. Laverty) reported that the general health of the inmates had not been good owing to the prevalence of colds. Thanks were due to the following for gifts hi kind:—E. Adams, Ltdcakes; Mr Heron, magazines; Miss Pigeon, weeklies; “Timaru Post.” “Timaru Herald” and Salvation Army “War Cry.” The report was adopted. Social Service. The Social Service Committee reported as follows, the figures in parentheses being for the corresponding period of last year: New cases: Two (8) new applications were received, and relief granted to the extent of 12 6 in one case and in the other case, that of a relief j worker going to Waipiata leaving a I wife and five children dependent, i assistance at the rate of 30 - per week had been approved. Amount granted September. 1932 was £l4 17s. Further temporary assistance was granted in 24 (38) cases at a cost of £47 Os lOd (£74 Os sd). Cases reviewed.—Five cases were re- | viewed, and it was decided to dis- • continue relief in four cases costing £8 7s 9d per month. One of the recipients was to be offered admission to the Old People’s Home, and another was deemed eligible for relief work. J Hammer Hospital.—Three applicaj tions for admission to Queen Mary Hospital were approved, making five South Canterbury patients for whom the Board was at present liable, at a total weekly cost of £l7 10s. In one case admission was subject to a contribution of 35 - per week from the patient making the net weekly cost £ls 15s. The Board's attention was specially directed to this matter, as in view of the expense involved, the Board might consider it necessary to restrict the number of patients being admitted. The report was adopted. Finance Committee. The Finance Committee reported as follows: Indigent maternity cases. —A deputation, representing the 8.M.A., waited on the Finance Committee at its last meeting suggesting that some arrangements be made in regard to indigent ; maternity cases booked for the Timaru I Hospital Maternity Ward but ultij mately confined in their own homes by ! local doctors. The matter was further j considered by the Finance Committee and after discussing various phases j with the Medical Superintendent they i make the following recommendation: | “That the deputation be informed that j the Board will be prepared to consider, jon its merits, any specific cases brought before it.” ! Waipiata Sanatorium.—The secre- ] tary of the Waipiata Sanatorium Com- ! mittee advised that a supplementary j capital estimate of £SOO was being j levied on contributing Boards to be I provided on next year's estimates. The i Board’s share was £145. Recommendai tion: That the supplementary levy be ! agreed to. | Treasurer's statements. —At the 30th ! September the Board had a debit t balance of £467 3s sd, but with the : receipt of the balance of levies and j revenue from fees. etc. they had to ! date a credit balance of £3,291 to meet | payments due this month amounting I to £3.613 7s 3d. The receipts from fees for the six months were £s4oo—being 1 £37 in excess of the proportional estii mate. The maintenance expenditure ! was £21.545. being £1.121 more than | the proportional estimate for the six ; months. The net maintenance deficit ; was therefore £1.084. The excess exI penditure was due partly to the fact that the Timaru Hospital occupied beds increased from 91.4 last year to 101.9 for the six months ended 30th September. 1933. an increase of 10.5 occupied beds. Other contributing causes were the arrival of indents, the payment of annual amounts such as insurances, grants, etc., and the fact that expenditure was usually greater in the winter than in the summer months. Taking these factors into consideration. the financial position to date j might be regarded as satisfactory, and it might be expected that the greater \ part, if not all. of the deficit might | disappear towards the end of the year. Waimate nurses' salaries.—ln connection with a paragraph in the Wai- 1 } mate Hospital Committee minutes of | the 4th October. V 33 drawing attention to a difference in the amount of j salaries i>aid to nurses at Timaru and Waimate hospitals who had passed ! their State examination, it was recommended that the salaries of the Wai- | mate nurses be increased to bring them into line with the salaries paid to the Timaru Hospital nurses. The report was adopted. Leave of Absence. On the motion of Mr Dash, it was j decided lo forward a letter of apprecia- , tion to Mr W. G. Paul, steward of the , i Waimate Hospital, for the manner in j which he had carried out his duties ‘ and additional work devolving on him J through unemployment relief over a , long period without having had any j leave. Mr Dash said that the strain had ! caused Mr Paul’s health to give way. and he had been granted two months' j leave.