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26
Member AUDIT
SUR EAU OP AIIICULAT IONS
No. 2077
John Street,
Perth.
P.O. BOX
PERTH, THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1978
SO
PERTH
ABERDEEN STREET, 6000.
Phone
Registered by pos;Ing as a NEWSPAPER Category "A" (Ii)
(09)
328 1388.
Price: 30 Cents
NATIONAL BODY A hational Catholic as/iodation will be formed to cover the activities of the 67 Catholic hospitals and 38 nursing homes that cater
PLAN
for 13,000 patients around Welfare (Senator Guilfoyle) Australia.
who both attended the conference.
The decision to form an association was made in Melbourne last week at a national Catholic meeting on health care attended by over 300 representatives.
They said that they needed to hear the Catholic hospitals speak with one
voice when dealing with the Government and they looked to the Catholic hospital Attending the meeting body to suggest innovations from W.A. were Sisters M. and stimulate thinking in Christina, M. Jacinta and the field of health care. Patricia, from St. Anne's; For the Catholic hosSisters Martha, Mary Julia pitals, it is felt that the new and Marietta and Mr. B. association will give a better Lee, from St. John of God; forum in which to discuss Sister Elizabeth Devine, the medico -moral issues that Mercy Provincial, and Sis- face the hospitals. ters M. Martin and M. The day following the Rose, of McAuley Centre. two-day conference, the reThe establishment of such presentatives of the 15 an association was supported Mercy hospitals throughout by the Commonwealth Min- Australia met to study how ister for Health (Mr. Hunt) they would contribute to and the Minister for Social the new national body.
Put At a meeting of Catholic hospital representatives to hear Sister ELIZABETH BURNS (right) last week were left to right Dr. P. JOYCE, Sister VITALIS and Trainee nurse ANNE FITGERALD, of Saint John of God; Sister M. CHRISTINA, of St. Anne's; Sister PATRICIA (Glendolough) and Sister REGINA
CATHOLIC HOSPITALS: ROLE OF The present genera-
tion of Catholic
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spiritual as well as physical well being.
hos-
Sister Elizabeth described pitals was standing on the pastoral team which thg shoulders of giants operates in her hospital in that should give Detroit: them on additional viEven if the patient did sion of what they ought sense," said Sister Elizabeth questions that might face But even in the United not sec a Religious Sister to be doing, a Sister of Burns, of Detroit. Catholic hospitals. States, with greater lay in- every day, there was a pasMercy nursing special- Sister Elizabeth was in How do the hospitals re- volvement, Catholic hos- toral team of three Sisters. ist said this week. Perth at the end of a six - late to the local parishes? pitals still had to think out two priests and a Brother
THE RELIGIOUS
week visit to Australia durAs part of the Community "The early Sisters came ing which she was principal health programme what are to Australia and went to speaker at the national the hospitals doing about the United States with a Catholic health care con- health education or about goal; they built hospitals ference held in Melbourne training parents? and became nurses. The hos- last week. Who is taking care of the In an interview, Sister drug pitals are still needed but dependant, the alcomay be needed in a new Elizabeth posed some of the holics, the elderly, the bat-
tered women? There was an opportunity, said, not to feel de-
she
pressed but to move into exciting new programmes that did not deny the value of the past but would ask again: What is needed now?
HIGHER PROPORTION Sister Elizabeth
pointed
out the particular problem that faced Australian Catholic hospitals.
In the past,
there had
proportionately higher number of Religious actually nursing and doing the other work of the hosbeen
a
pital than, say, in United States. Around Australia
the
she sensed apprehension by Sis-
ters that there were insuf1308 Albany Hwy.'Cannington 3395
Phone 4512333.
D,L 0591
ficient Religious to maintain this position.
the new role of the Religious community. There was concern, she said, on how the Religious communities would develop their relationship to the new local civic and administrative boards that took part in hospital management today
ready to assist the patient.
PASTORAL TEAM The pastoral team looked
for opportunities to pray with patients, pray with relatives, bring Communion
to the patients at a convenient time and notify the parishes if one of their members was sick. Mass in the hospital QUESTIONS chapel was either at 4.30 Religious had to find out p.m., for the sake of visitors their sponsorship role in a and patients, or at 11.30 hospital that was conducted a.m., to catch staff on their in their name. lunch break. Hence, Religious had to Pastoral care needed to ask questions on how the be given by a professionally laity should be involved and trained group and not just trained for the involvement by well-meaning hospital and what was the future visitors. role of Religious Sisters. Patients often bad difCatholic hospitals were ficulties about their marneeded, she said, because riage, ethical questions or they were part of the healing their attitudes to the Church. mission of Jesus and the Church. TRAINING NEEDED A public hospital was esFor these questions memtablished in response to the bers of the pastoral team need for physical health. needed some training in A Catholic hospital exist- theology or counselling and ed because of man's need in how to seek further help, for wholeness, and the if required, patient should experience the Christian concern for (CONTINUED PAGE 4)
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