Other formats

    TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

The Cyclopedia of New Zealand [Auckland Provincial District]

The Auckland Hospital

The Auckland Hospital. Of the various hospitals of the colony the Auckland Hospital stands pre-eminent; the healthy situation, beauty of the surroundings, and general appearance and utility of the institution entitle page 189 it to occupy that position. In 1875 the construction of the present main building in stone was begun, and funds were provided by a loan, of £25,000, raised on debentures secured on the hospital endowments. The hospital stands on an eminence near the Domain, and for the choice of the site, as well as for the fine reserve which surrounds the hospital and its auxiliary institutions, and also for the valuable city and suburban endowments originally set aside for hospital maintenance, the people of Auckland are indebted to the wisdom and foresight of the late Sir George Groy. In 1887 the wooden building known as the auxiliary wards for the accommodation of typhoid fever cases was erected at a cost of £1454, provided by the accumulation of revenue from the endowments. The late Mr. Edward Costley left the Hospital Trust a bequest of £12,150, and with this various important works have been carried out, including the Nurses' Home, which accommodates the matron and a staff of forty-five nurses. In 1895, the Government voted £1500 for a new kitchen and servants' quarters; the vote was supplemented by £1040 from the Costley bequest, and the whole of the cooking for the hospital and its auxiliary buildings is now done by steam supplied by a large boiler of sufficient power to drive a dynamo when the buildings are lighted by electricity. Other permanent improvements carried out with the aid of the Costley bequest include a new mortuary, an extensive drainage system, a destructor, and a children's hospital, with fifty-two cots, which cost about £5000. Including the children's cots, the hospital can supply 202 beds, and the patients under treatment average about 140. There are two resident medical officers, Drs. Bett and Inglis; Mrs Alma Wooten is the matron, and there are forty-five female and two male nurses. The honorary staff consists of three physicians, three surgeons, one ophthalmic surgeon, and one pathologist; one of the honorary visiting medical staff acts as medical adviser to the Board.