In my first Annual Report for 1873, I had to comment on the trouble which appeared to beset the filling of these posts and for fourteen years my reports in the same connection have been incessant but though the Wardmasters' pay has been slightly increased it is not sufficient to secure trained men or in view of the duties performed, or compared with the pay of officers of the same rank in other Departments. The Wardmasters have twelve hours of continuous duty to do. They have to attend the Superintendent in his rounds, to see the Chinese nurses do their duty, to administer medicines, to change dressings, to see diets given out and temperatures taken, to receive and admit patients, to attend to their wants pending the Superintendent's arrival, and many other things which keep them incessantly engaged during the whole twelve hours.
It would be difficult to appreciate adequately the discomfort of the Superintendent, with untrained men attending to the ward duties and the uncertainty he must be in as to whether his directions will be attended to properly and correctly if at all, or yet the bewilderment of a new and untrained Ward- master with the multifarious directions written and unwritten for about from 60 to 100 different patients, or the unpleasantness to the patient himself at having to put up with the nervous, awkward handling, of the untrained nurse, however willing and kindly the intention.
I think I have said enough to show that it is very detrimental to the proper administration of the Hospital that continual changes should recur in these posts by reason of the employment of inferior men at low salaries. Such changes add very greatly to the troubles of the Superintendent, and detract very
much from the comfort of the patients. It is true that for the most part the latter are only seaman, Government servants, Police Cases, or destitutes, but there should be no distinction of class in the treatment of the sick in Hospitals. All are entitled to the same efficiency of nursing as if they belonged to the influential section of the Community.
Dr. ATKINSON has had the trouble of training the two present Wardmasters for three months at a time of great emergency while an epidemic of small-pox was raging in the Colony. The duties of training and instruction doubled his work, and naturally caused him not only a great amount of care and anxiety but necessitated much extra and harassing watchfulness. This burthen Dr. ATKINSON has borne with great cheerfulness, not sparing himself in any way if he could lighten the labour and increase the comfort of those under his charge, and I cannot speak too highly of the skill, care, and attention he has shown in the performance of his duties, but I submit that he should be relieved from a recurrence of such anxieties in the future by the proper organization of his staff.
Fortunately in Mr. WATSON, the Assistant Apothecary, lately arrived and whose appointment is a new one, in Mr. ROGERS the Steward, Mr. U. L. KAI the Student Apothecary, Mr. CARNEIRO the Wardmaster of the small-pox Hospital, Mr. Lo CHEUNG IP the Clerk, and A Lok the Chinese Ward- master, he has found energetic and willing assistants these officers being thoroughly conversant with their duties.
The office of Clerk at the Hospital is another post which gives considerable trouble and which is subject to frequent changes owing to insufficiency of pay. Mr. Lo CHEUNG IP the present holder of this post is one of the most efficient Clerks we have ever had. His office hours are from nine A.M. till five P.M. and more often seven P.M., and even then were it not for the assistance rendered him by Mr. ROGERS the Steward he would very often not be able to get through his days work at all. Clerks in other Government Departments and Offices, some of whom have been in the post he now occupies, work as a rule from 10 A.M. till 4 P.M., and while having lighter duties are better paid, consequently Mr. Lo CHEUNG IP is naturally in search of other employment and I shall be forced to recommend a good officer for promotion though it will be much against the interests of the Hospital that it should lose bis services. The Hospital has in consequence of this combination of overwork and insufficient pay hitherto found it impossible to retain a Clerk long after he had learnt his duties, and if he has not found promotion in the public service he generally has sought private employment.
It must always be a matter of regret that discontent should prevail among the subordinate staff of a Hospital for the constant changing of officers in an Institution filled with people distressed in mind or body is not at all conducive to the comfort or alleviation of the latter.
A scheme for the employment of European Female professional nurses in the Hospital has been drawn up by Dr. ATKINSON at the request of the Government and is now under consideration. If on enquiry in England it is found feasible the scheme will undoubtedly be a very great benefit to the Hospital. It is not however entirely without some drawbacks for the nurses will have to reside on the premises and this will require a considerable increase of accommodation in the shape of an additional block of buildings which means considerable expense. As usual it is a question of initial outlay.
Last September Mr. W. E. CROW the Government Analyst was transferred for temporary duty to the Sanitary Department. This transfer has, I am glad to say not deprived the Hospital of Mr. Crow's valuable services. He continues to attend as heretofore to his analytical duties and researches and the supervision of the Dispensing Department of the Hospital.
The admissions to the Hospital this year show a slight increase of 33.
There were 432 cases of Fever of various types, of these 11 died; 40 cases of Dysentery were admitted of whom 6 died; 53 cases of Diarrhoea of whom 3 died.