Plan To Continue Hospital Work

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31321, 17 March 1967, Page 1

Plan To Continue Hospital Work

In spite of a warning to hospital boards from the Minister of Health (Mr McKay) that spending should be decreased and budgets adhered to, the North Canterbury board aims to press ahead with its extensive building programme.

The chairman (Dr. L. C. L. Averill) said yesterday that a full statement on spending would be made at the next boat'd meeting, but the Health Department appreciated the urgent need for more beds for Christchurch.

Services to patients would not be curtailed, he said, and there was no suggestion of hospital board employees’ wages being reduced, or staff being put off. Dr. Averill said he and other hospital board chairmen had received a letter from Mr McKay on the need to reduce expenditure. A special committee had been set up of senior administrative officers and board members to consider the Minister’s request. The proposed new ward block for Christchurch Hospital, and the new clinical services block had a high priority, and planning was going ahead in close co-opera-tion with the Health Department. Dr. Averill said that he thought it unlikely that the Minister would defer this important project. It was hoped that working dravings for these blocks would be ready by October, and a start could be made on the construction work before the end of the year . He also emphasised the Im-

portance of the new accident and emergency department at Christchurch Hospital, work on which was under way. “It would help the board to know the money to pay for this important department is in sight,” Dr. Averill said. Work on theatres at St. Helens Hospital to cater for all gynaecological surgery was also being planned. Another important project involved work on the radiotherapy department to house a new deep-ray unit for cancer treatment.

Because of these projects, and others essential to the board, the loan programme was most important, the chairman said.

“The more support we receive locally, the more help it will be in our discussions with the Health Department which in turn makes recommendations to the Minister," Dr. Averill said.

The board’s No. 17 loan, of £250,000, which would help to pay for the accident and emergency department, the theatre project at St. Helens and the radiotherapy department work, had been filled to the extent of £191,390, leaving £58,610 still to be subscribed. Of the amount still to be taken up, £5560 was at a nineyear term at 5 1 1-8 per cent, and £53,050 at terms between 12 and 20 years at 5$ per cent.