EQUIPMENT FOR EMERGENCIES

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30603, 20 November 1964, Page 10

EQUIPMENT FOR EMERGENCIES

Mt. Cook National Park An oxygen cylinder and mask are to be provided at Mount Cook National Park headquarters by the park board as an addition to the already impressive array of emergency medical and surgical supplies kept there. The equipment is used for any residents or park visitors, including Hermitage staff and guests, who may be taken ill or have an accident. Last year, a person suffering from a heart attack was given oxygen from a DC3 aeroplane of the Mount Cook and Southern Lakes Tourist Company, Ltd. An asthma sufferer was prescribed oxygen by a doctor, but on that occasion there was no DC3 aircraft at the airstrip and no other source of oxygen, so an alternative treatment had to be used. The board hopes eventually to have a resident doctor in the new Mount Cook village it is planning at the entrance to the park, but for emergencies in the meantime a doctor can usually be found among the Hermitage guests. Otherwise, instructions are sought by telephone from the Timaru Hospital. If a visitor needs hospital treatment, he is usually flown out; if this is not possible, the Fairlie ambulance of the St John Ambulance Association is called on. Trained nurses are often available from among the general staff of the Hermitage.