SURVEY OF BIRTHS

Press, Volume C, Issue 29502, 2 May 1961, Page 12

SURVEY OF BIRTHS

Hospitals In Country

The North Canterbury Hospital Board is trying to find now many children are born to the residents of country areas where the board maintains hospitals. The board has asked registrars of vital statistics in these areas for the numbers of births registered. The assistant secretary of the board (Mr D. Home) said yesterday that the board was wanting to compare notifications in the districts served by country hospitals with the number of births which occurred in the hospital. The investigation bed "struck bumps.” he said, because births could be registered anywhere, and it was more than likely that some babies born in a city hospital of country parents might be registered in the city. Mr Horne said he was not competent to say what the board might do with the information it sought But the board’s secretary <Mr J G. Laurenson). in his annual report presented last week, said that "to be of service, a hospital must be made use of by those it serves.” and that “rural communities must be aware of the difficulties and do their part to minimise them if they are to continue to have hospital facilities in their districts.”