ST HELENS HOME.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 9307, 6 August 1908, Page 1

ST HELENS HOME.

. « — COMPLAINTS REGARDING THE INSTITUTIONS. CLAIMS OF THE POOR. THE QUESTION DISCUSSED IN PARLIAMENT. [Fkom Our Correspondent.] WELLINGTON, August 5. There was a considerable amount of discussion in the House this afternoon on the subject of St Helens Maternity Homes, more particularly as regards the Auckland Home, and theprinciple on whicii the Homes are based. About a fortnight ago Mr Laurenson asised the Minister or Public iaealtu (tlits Hoji G. JJ'owldsj if ue was aware that two cases had been refused admittance to the Auckland Home under distressing circumstances, and the Minister, in the course of a long reply, said that no woman arriving in tiie hour of necessity was retused admission. The suuject was not debated on 'that occasion, but came up for discussion to-day. . ) Mr Massey complained that under the present system poor people, for . whose benefit the Homes were estab- • lished, would not make use of them, j owing to tlio fact that the accommodation available was taken up by women who were able to afford the expense of treatment in their own homes or elsewhere. He read several letters in proof of his contention, and urged that there should be a public inquiry into the question. Also he complained that although lectures in midwifery j are given at these hospitals, no exami- • nations based on those lectures are held so as to test tho extent to which the nurses have benefited by the lectures. The Minister, in replying to some 'discussion, said he had no expectation I that the agitation /in respect to the 'St Helens Hospital' would stop at any ■• rate until the general election, because it was purely and wholly political. He knew exactly how it could be stopped, , but was not prepared to take the necessary steps to stop it. It never was . ' 1 the intention of the late Mr Seddon, or j '. 1 the Government, or anyone else, that j j these Homes should be benevolent in- „ stitutions. The duty of providing for I ; indigent women under such circum- ' stances devolved on the hospital and , charitable aid boards as in the past, and that duty was acknowledged by , the boards. He wanted once for all ] Ito do away, with the idea that these ;

wero benevolent institutions. They were intended in the first place mainly to provide suitable training for midwives, to enable them to go into country districts or anywhere els© and undertake maternity cases, without the assistance of a medical man when one was not available. For that reason they had provided a very low scale of fees, 30s a week or £3 for the usual fortnight. No one could bay that was excessive, because it included doctor's fees when they were incurred. Mr Massey : Supposing they have no room? The Minister : Then it is the duty of the Hospital and Charitable Aid Board to make provision. -He went on to say that if a woman could not pay she was never refused admission if there was room in the hospital. As to persons being admitted who could afford to pay for treatment outside, the Minister pointed out that no woman could b& admitted whose husband earned more than £3 a week. If women whose husbands earned more than that had been admitted they had been admitted through misrepresentation. He went on to deal with two cases that had been mentioned, statins' that the charges were made by a Mrs Emily Nicol, of the Political Labour League Auckland, and giving details in disproof founded on inquiries made by the heads of the institution. j Mr Herries expressed his belief; that' the Jate Mr Seddon intende- 3 the Homes tor indigent women, and not for women who could pay their way. The Minister, therefore, had not administered the Aot in the spirit in which it was intended. The Minister : Can yon prove that? Mr Homes retorted that the Minis- I ter had not produced any iron's 'of the late Mr Seddon in support, of his contention. He donbtfid whether tho Minister was rigrht. That view was entirely oppose^ to his recollection of the Jflte Mr Seddon's intention as to the Homo being a school of instruction. lno«e who wished to pet instruction could not do so without paving very ! heavy fees, which nurses from the conntrv could not afford. , The Minister : There are more offering u han we can take who are willing to oav the fees. Air Herries said that the result was that women from the backblooks. who could not afford to pay the fees and for whose benefit the Homes were established were excluded. Tta fees for patients, too, were too high for workmen s wives. The subject was eventually "talked out.