Fewer Births In Board's Hospitals

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30739, 1 May 1965, Page 21

Fewer Births In Board's Hospitals

The was a drop of 136 last financial year in the number of births in hospitals of the North Canterbury Hospital Board excluding St Helens Hospital, according to the annual report of the board’s secretary (Mr J. G. Laurenson). St. Helens is excluded from the comparision because it did not come under the control of the board until April 1 last year; Eleven of the hospitals had a decrease in the number of births compared with five recording an increase; and in three of the five cases the increase was by one birth. The biggest increase in births was at the Darfield Hos-

pital, which was one of those which stood to gain from the closing of the maternity side of the Oxford Hospital the previous year.

The total of births for the 16 hospitals during 1964-65 was 2576, compared with 2712 in 1963-64, 2701 in 196263, 2740 in 1961-62, 2663 in 1960-61, 2494 in 1959-60, and 2398 in 1958-59. Births in St Helens Hospital for the year ended March 31 were 1545. Births in the other hospitals during the year (1963-64 figures in brackets) were: Christchurch 4 (9), Princess Margaret 19 (35), Burwood 693 (718), Essex 840 (874), Akaroa 27 (37), Chatham Islands 16 (18), Cheviot 47 (42), Darfield 129 (125), Ellesmere 92 (91), Kaiapoi 111 (110), Lincoln 149 (156), Lyttelton 79 ( 84), Oxford 0 (17), Rangiora 185 (184), Waikari 116 (136).