Natives District Nursing

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume VIII, Issue 2, 1 April 1915, Page 87

Natives District Nursing

Nurse Stephenson has had the misfortune to have been ill, and has had three months' leave from her district at Rotorua. She is now quite fit for duty again. Nurse Wright, who was the first district nurse at Te Araroa, filled l^urse Stephenson's place at Rotorua during her absence. The Kaingas m the district have been much more free from enteric since Christmas , and nurse has been very busy with antityphoid inoculations. The usual summer trouble has been afflicting the Maori babies ; but few have been lost ; although nurse has been kept busy. Nurse North and her Maori assistant, have been away on leave during February, and have toured the Southern lakes. A suspicious outbreak occurred at Te Teko, fourteen miles from Whakatane, and there being several cases, Nurse Wright went over from Rotorua. It turned out, however, to be only influenza ; although for a time temperatures ran high, and the patients were very ill. Enteric at Te Teko is much to be dreaded ; so many of the Natives there being addicted to very dirty living, as well as to a good deal of tohungaism. The Prophet Rua still has many of his long-haired followers there, who are hauhaus, and more difficult to teach better ways, on account of their many stupid superstitions. Great headway has however been made among them of late, and they are not averse to anti-typhoid inoculation. The water supply is very poor also, the dry season making matters worse.

The Bay of Islands' Nurse is having a very busy time with a number of enterics at Whangape, which is a very cut-off place m Hokianga County. Nurse has twelve busy cases ; but is managing excellently with an assistant nurse, and the Maoris who she says are helping her altogether splendidly. She has turned a large meetinghouse into a hospital ; the local members of the Maori Council and the Sanitary Inspector helped her to get the cases m, and fix the sanitary arrangements, etc. Equipment could not be got to Whangape except at great cost and inconvenience, but Nurse states that the Maoris have supplied her with the best that they had. Sheets were not very plentiful and had to be supplemented by unbleached calico from the local store. One patient had died, but the others were all holding their own, although some were very ill. We still want a few more nurses for Native districts, and general district work ; but it is very necessary for both, that nurses should have both general and midwifery qualifications. Nurse Moore has had her month's leave which she spent m Auckland. It is to be hoped that her district will remain free of enteric, there having been a great deal during all of last winter and spring. At Waikato and Thames our nurses report much less sickness on the whole — mostly influenza, and summer diarrhoea with infants.