The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-07-01
.PALAMA GENERAL
HOSPITAL CLOSING
Perley L. Horne, President.


will close at the end of August has not
as vet been definitely decided. but is
now under consideration by the Boara
of Trustees.
The following facts concerning the
hospital and its work may be of inter-
est to the friends of the institution:
The hospital was originally started by
the Chinese, the land being given by
the government and the money for most
of the buildings being raised by sub
scription among the white aid Chinese
merchants and private individuals. 1t
was conducted fer many years largely
by the Chinese, bat owing to their
steadily decreasing numbers and the
heavy expense attending its operation,
they decided TO give it up some two
wears ago. At that time it was repre-
scented that It was filing needed place
in the community, and Il certain re-
pairs were made ard the hospital thrown
open to all nationalities it could be run
at moderate outlay.
During the past two years several
thousand dollars have been spent in i'm
provements and repairs, and several
trained nurses employed and everything
done to bring the hospital and its equip
ment up to a high standard Of efficiency
The results have been quite gratifying,
the number of patients at the hospital
averaging from ten to eighteen most OF
the time. There have been a large NUM-
Der of successful operations performed
by various surgeons of the ef5y, and
without exception the treatment and
care of patients has been highly satis-
factory to the physicians who have had
patients there.
The expense, however, of conducting
the institution mas Ieen large, averag-
ing about four hundred dollars per
month over and above all receipts. IT
has also been found that the hospital
has TO quite an extent come into com
petition with the Queens Hospital, and
that most of the patients treated at Pa
lama could have been treated equally
as well at the Queen s. In this respect,
therefore, it is duplicating the work of
the Queen s Hospital, which is SO well
able to care for all those in need of a
hospital. This is doubly true since the
Queen s has opened IT'S general wards
to all the physicians of the city, and a
patient is not compelled to engage a
private room If he wishes his own ply
stefan to treat him, as was .he case two
years ago.
In few months the CHILDREN S Hes
pital will be completed and well equip
ped to treat anu care for children of all
nationalities, having beth private rooms
and public wards. As it is located with
in mile of Palama, it will naturally
tend to draw that class of patients
from Palama, and such an Institution
should receive the support Of the com
munity in every way possible.
AfC 1DofChAAiiSSL F16aStS &cESA11 w tAD
management strong reasons why it is
| unnecessary to longer conduct the Pa
lama Hospital. There are so many
worthy institutions on these Islands
that need the support of all those able
to give it that it seems unwise to du-
plicate work that is LOW being well
conducted. 1t seems evident that the
amount of money which it now takes to
carry on the Palama Hospital could
accomplish more good to the community
if spent in preventive work, such as the
settlements are doing with their dis
pensaries, pure milk depots, and dis
triet nurses. There is also much that
should be done in the line of prevent
ing the spread of tuberculosis and pro-
vldIng means to help those in the first
stages of this disease. These lines of
preventive work appeal very strongly
to those interested in the support of The
hospital. However, if it is made plain
ly evident that tie city needs such an
institution as the f lama Hospital, and
the physicians and Others interested
can demonstrate that it would be a dis
tinet loss te the community to have it
closed, the trustees are ready and will
ing to consider its continuance for an
other year.