The Future of the Military Hospitals

Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand, Volume XII, Issue 1, 1 January 1919, Page 9

The Future of the Military Hospitals

Arrangements are now in progress at Trentham Camp to make ready a hospital of 500 to 800 beds, in view of the early return of all invalided New Zealand soldiers.

The present hospital buildings hold about 150 to 200 beds, and the rest of the accommodation is to be provided by adapting the hutments occupied by the troops in training as hospital wards of about thirty beds each. Part of these hutments are also to be utilised as nurses' quarters for V.A.D/s. They are to be divided up into cubicles and pro vided with bathroo ms and lavatories. One large hutment is to be divided up into a large mess room, and a recreation or sitting-room for the sisters ; while another sitting-room is to be provided for V.A.D.'s. The matron's quarters will be the cottage built for nurses with the original cottage hospital, and consist of sitting-room, bedroom, bathroom, and office. The present quarters at the Racecourse Buildings will be evacuated as soon as these new quarters are ready.

It is at the present time impossible to decide how many returned invalids must be provided for. During the voyage out many men so far recover that they may not require hospital treatment after arrival. At Trentham also a large massage and electrical department is being arranged. It is still undecided what is to be done with

Feather feton Camp and Hospital. The staff is still retained there in view of possible requirement.

The new buildings at Rotorua have not yet been equipped or opened as hospital wards. They were hurriedly opened for use during the influenza epidemic and a Nurses' Home is now being built.

At Timaru the new St. Andrew's Orphanage has been taken over for military purposes, and is now being equipped, and will very shortly be opened. It is to serve as an overflow from the Chalmers Military Orthopaedic Hospital at Christchurch, and unless extensions should be needed, will consist of about sixty to seventy beds. The building is a fine one, and well adapted for a hospital.

The Hatuma Consumptive Hospital building is proceeding, and also a hospital for about fifty cases on the Cashmere Hills at Christchurch. In the interval before these buildings are ready, fifty or seventy patients are to be sent to Featherston.

Pending decision and more knowledge of requirements, the staff of military sisters are retained, and of these returning, only those requesting their discharge are being discharged. It may be necessary to have from 100 to 150 sisters still on military service.