HOSPITAL WANTED

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 43, 20 February 1935, Page 10

HOSPITAL WANTED

NORTH SHORE NEEDS.

DEPUTATION TO BOARD.

DEVONPQRT'S DOUBTS,

Representatives of the North Shore boroughs waited on the Auckland Hospital Board yesterday afternoon to urge the necessity for the erection of a general hospital on the North Shore. Northcoto was mentioned as a suitable site,

The deputation was led by Mr. B. Martin, Mayor of Northcote, and he was supported by representatives of Birkenhead and Takapuna Borough Councils and the Waitemata County Council. Members of the Devonport Borough Council also attended, although that council had passed a resolution against the proposal.

"It is generally felt that so large and increasingly populous a district as North Shore should not be entirely dependent for public hospital service upon an institution across the Waitemata," said Mr. Martin. "It is estimated that a local hospital would serve a population of 23,000, exclusive of Devonport. This population now pays £8700 in levies to the board. It is estimated that of some 800 North Shore residents treated yearly at the Auckland Hospital 50 per cent require only such treatment as an auxiliary hospital could provide." A Central Site.

Already the Auckland Hospital Board possessed a site in the Northcote district, which was one mile from the main north highway at Glenfield, within 20 minutes of the Albany Post Office, 15 minutes from the furthest point of Devonport and Birkenhead, six minutes from Hall's Corner, Takapuna, and five minutes from any point in Northcote, said Mr. Martin. A hospital on that site would serve a wide area in the north, including Rodney county and the Warkworth town district, With a population of 23,000 on the North Shore, the deputation claimed that the district was entitled to such facilities as they suggested. At times there was considerable delay in transferring people across the harbour.

Mr. G. Mills, Mayor of .Birkenhead, and Mr. O. M. Dow'd (Takapuna) also spoke in favour of an auxiliary hospital, and a letter of support was read from the Mayor of Takapuna, Mr. J. Guiniyen.

"Devonport would not like the other boroughs to, think that we are antagonistic to the proposal," said Mr. E. H. Ljttle, deputy-Mayor of Devonport. After giving full consideration to the proposal, members of the Devonport Council decided that, in view of the need for specialised treatment at the Auckland Hospital, they were not i» favour of the proposal. "There were hospitals and hospitals. A fully-equipped hospital would be very costly to establish and maintain. If tbe board contemplated building a children's hospital at North Shore to relieve the congestion in the general hospital, he believed that Devonport wo.uld join hands. He did not think that Devonport people would make much use of a hospital at Northcote. It was almost as handy for them to go across the harbour as to go to Northcote. If they were going to get a fully equipped hospital that will pay——" *

"Ho Hospitals Pay." Mr. W- Wallace: No hospital in the Dominion pays its way. Mr. E. Aldridge (Deyonport) said hia council would be prepared to lend its weight and influence to any workable scheme. It was a matter that should be fully investigated. He was in favour of an auxiliary hospital whero specialists were not needed. An assurance was given to the deputation by the chairman of the board, Mr. Wallace, that th.3 matter would be fully investigated. In ten years the annual number" of admissions to the Auckland Hospital had risen from 0500 to 12,000. It was well known that small hospitals were expensive. In hi* opinion, North Shore had no hope of getting a- fully-equipped hospital. The best the district could hope for was an auxiliary hospital. Experts had said that New Zealand had too many hospitals already. • Howeyer, full consideration would be given to North Shore if any extension of the hospital system took place.