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The changing role of the hospital was evident
as steadily improving surgical techniques
and medical expertise had reinforced the
perception among patients and doctors alike
that the hospital rather than the home was
the preferred place for treating acute illness.
This transition was noted by the hospital
Committee of Management in 1912:
"The City is rapidly growing, filling
up with a class of people to whom a hospital
in case of sickness is a necessity. The
prejudice against hospitals is fast vanishing,
and the public both rich and poor, coming
to realize that in many forms of sickness
the hospital is the only place where successful
treatment can be assured."[16]
The provision of accommodation for the
patients willing to pay for semi-private
or private rooms became a pressing need
in the hospital. Whereas in 1898 paying
patients accounted for a quarter of the
admissions by 1920 they made up the majority.
The Empire Wing built between 1912-14 conforms
to the pavilion hospital model. A long rectangular
structure with a low hipped roof containing
three storeys above a raised basement. The
exterior limestone and central frontispiece
was meant to blend with the adjacent buildings.
The Wing was connected to the Main Building
by a single story passageway. The Empire
Wing contained 30 private rooms. A three
storey addition to the south for the Empire
Wing added 24 private rooms in 1923-24.
The hospital was now an important part
of the health care system. This transition
was due to advances in medical science leading
to new methods of diagnosis and treatment.
Each advance led to a new need recognized
by the Board and often achieved by financial
assistance from the community.
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Outstanding care, always.
