WAIMATE HOSPITAL

Timaru Herald, Volume CLII, Issue 22378, 16 September 1942, Page 4

WAIMATE HOSPITAL

Report Of Special Committee Unanimous Approval Of Board The following; recommendations, in connection with the Waimate Hospital, tabled in a report by a special committee, were adopted unanimously by the South Canterbury Hospital Board yesterday:— (1) That a new septic tank drainage system be proceeded with immediately as a matter of urgency. (2) That the erection of a hospital block with accommodation for 48 patients at an estimated cost of £25,000 be approved by the Board, and that the work be proceeded with as early as possible. (3) That a block containing porters’ quarters, laundry and storeroom at an estimated cost of £3500 be approved and the work proceeded with, the finance to be found by levy and subsidy. The special committee met in Waimate on September 9, and reported as follows: — “Mr Grant stated that for a number of years past the Borough and County had been contributing substantially towards the cost of South Canterbury institutions over and above the amount required to maintain the Waimate Hospital and instanced the fact that for the financial year ended March 31, 1942. the funds provided by the Waimate district in levies (with Government subsidy thereon) and hospital benefit payments amounted to £25,879; the cost of the Waimate Hospital for the same period for both maintenance and capital requirements was £18.886, leaving a surplus of £6993 available for other institutions. Moderate Demands “For very many years past Waimate’s demands on the funds of the Board had been extremely moderate and the institution had been one of the most economically administered in the Dominion. Due largely to the Waimate committee’s reluctance to involve the Board in capital expenditure, and also to the increase in the number of patients, a position had been reached where it was imperative that more and better accommodation was urgently required to meet the needs of the Waimate district, and improved facilities for nursing, and for servicing the institution. In providing for these requirements the Board would only be giving effect to the provisions of the • Other Waimate representatives emphasised the many difficulties created by the inadequate accommodation and lack of facilities. It was stated that there is not proper accommodation for very sick patients. Instances were quoted by the doctors of patients coming direct from the theatre and having to be placed in wards and being sick while other patients were having dinner. The present wards are in a very bad state of repair and roofs and floors are badly infected with borer. “It was claimed to be unreasonable that young nurses should be expected at all hours of the night to leave the main hospital building to attend patients in the hutments, some of which are located a good distance away. In wet weather the position from a nursing point of view was worse, and meals for the patients had to be taken through the rain. The hutments themselves were not weatherproof and it was not fair to patients that they should be required to put up with such makeshift accommodation. The state of the buildings, the lack of proper facilities and the scattered nature of the accommodation tended to lower the standard of nursing and make it difficult to obtain nurses and to retain them. Quarters for the porters and domestics were also very bad. Reference was also made to the drainage system, laundry, engineering services and storerooms, all of which required urgent consideration. A suggestion was made that the hutments might be used for porters’ quarters, storerooms and drying rooms, but it was decided that owing to their condition they would not be suitable. Present Accommodation “The present accommodation at Waimate provides, without overcrowding, for 50 patients. The sketch plan originally submitted by the architect provided for the erection of an L shaped block on the site of the present wards, which would be demolished, with accommodation for a total of 78 patients, and new administration offices and nurses’ training rooms together with a new block containing laundry, porters’ quarters and storerooms. “A suggestion was made that this scheme should be modified by deferring until a more opportune time that part of the building containing administration offices, etc., and erecting that part of it containing accommodation for 48 patients. This would cut out 30 of the old beds so that the total accommodation then available would be 48 new beds, plus 20 old beds, making 68 beds. On the day of the committee meeting there were 57 patients in hospital, excluding those from Timaru, and there have been as many as 65. “Many of the residents live in remote areas and it is often necessary to admit them to hospital instead of giving them medical attention in their own homes which would be the case if they lived closer in. In view of this fact, together with the tendency of hospital populations to increase, the number of beds provided for in the modified scheme is quite reasonable and provides approximately seven available beds per 1000 of the population, against a Dominion average of 6.3. Some districts provide as many as 11 and 12 per 1000.”

Discussion By Board The chairman (Mr E. Macdonald) said that there was no doubt about the need for something to be done in Waimate. The percentage of the Board's funds provided by the Waimate County and Borough exceeded that of Timaru. The secretary had taken out comparative figures for the last 10 years, and they rather emphasised the fact that Waimate had, to a large extent, been neglected. He did not know that the Board had been altogether to blame, for the Waimate representatives could have made their request earlier, and all reasonable wishes and requests would have been met. No attempt had been made by the Board to close down on Waimate. The Board had to maintain a state of efficiency in Waimate, and that was what the committee’s recommendations aimed at. He was sorry more members had not made the trip to Waimate, because things were really in a bad state. He moved the adoption of the report. Mjr C. B. Marshall seconded the motion, and said he did so because remarks he made on a previous occasion had been somewhat misconstrued. If they referred back to the minutes of the last meeting, they would find by reading the amendment he moved that he was anxious to receive a direction from the Health Department on the subject of hospital set-up generally and in particular on the future trend of hospital management. His amendment was defeated, and it was at the wish of the Board that he and other members went to Waimate. He did so with an open and unbiased mind, and lie had come to the conclusions set out in the report. If they viewed the subject on moral grounds they would agree that Waimate was entitled to have a hospital which could be conducted on modern lines. If they looked at it on financial grounds, no one had the right to dispute that Waimate was entitled to adequate hospital equipment. The amount involved seemed large, but it was not so in the light of what was being undertaken. The total cost would be £29.000. but the district would only have to find half, which would be £14,500. As the hospital was to serve a country district, there should be less cry from the farming community that they had to bear the greater share of the burden of hospital levies. Support For Proposals Mr H. J. Clark spoke in support of the report, and said that it would fill

the bill until times were more favourable. The secretary pointed out that the report did not provide for furnishings, which woud cost another £2OOO. The chairman said that they would receive a Government subsidy of 50 per cent, so the total cost would not be such a hurdle. Mr J. Acland: What will be the total cost, with furnishings? The chairman: About £31,000. Cr. C. M. Talbot spoke in support of the report, but said that he thought they would have had a bigger bed state for the money to be expended. The chairman: We are scrapping a wornout institution. Mr J. C. Hay referred to the delapidated condition of the building and the congestion through lack of accommodation. He then quoted figures prepared by the secretary showing capital expenditure on buildings and equipment in Timaru and Waimate during the last 10 years. On Timaru hospital, levy and subsidy totalled £18,207, excluding £6200 spent this year on Talbot Hospital, as against £10,528 spent on Waimate. Loan money expended at Timaru during the 10 years was £llO,OOO, as against none at Waimate. The total expenditure was Timaru £128,207 and Waimate £10,528. He added that the porters’ quarters at Waimate had been built 68 years ago, and were past habitation. In several other parts of the building flooring had recently collapsed. The report did not include all the original proposals, but the recommendations would put the hospital in proper working order. Mr C. E. Kerr said that they should think not merely of the present but should look to the future. Until recent years Timaru hospital had been a downright disgrace. If the building had belonged to any other body, such as the Licensed Victuallers, it would have been condemned years ago. There was no more important work to be done than safeguarding the health of the community. After further discussion the motion was carried unanimously. Mr Marshall gave notice to move at the next meeting that the proposals be financed by levy and subsidy. Attitude of Borough During the meeting, Mr Hay took the opportunity of protesting against the attitude taken up by the Timaru Borough Council in regard to Waimate Hospital, because at the time of the discussion the Council did not know what the proposals were. He thought the Council had exceeded Its duty in commenting on the matter before the report of the special committee had come before the Board. The ActingMayor had said that there was a grave danger of duplicating specialised services, but there was no such intention. The Council was only trying to draw red herrings. Mr A. S. Kinsman: I hope you are not referring to the councillor who Is a member of the Board.