‘Extravagant’ hospitals

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33253, 16 June 1973, Page 2

‘Extravagant’ hospitals

<New Zealand Press Association) ROTORUA, June 15. Consideration should be given to the building of cheaper, communitytype hospitals, where people who did not require the sophisticated service of base hospitals could be cared for by their family doctors, said Dr M. Matich, of Dargaville, in an address to the annual conference of the Medical Association of New Zealand, in Rotorua.

He said special cardiac, renal and neurological units should be planned on a national scale, rather than having them in every centre “of any size.” “Reconstruction of our health service system should give consideration to the regionalisation of hospitals and health services," said Dr Matich.

“It should also give consideration to the question of nominated as well as elected hospital boards, and possibly to the question of an independent health authority, free, if possible, from direct political control and from parochial pressure.’’

Dr Matich said there was a lack of trained hospital administrators in New Zealand, and a lack of costing evaluation services.

“There is an extravagance exhibited in hospital building which makes them an architect’s dream and a Health Minister’s nightmare.” The fault lay with the planners who did not begin from the base needs—the individual patient, his family and his community.

“I feel that the massive demands of the hospital building requirements, and the problem of administration of a scheme involving independent individuals, such as the New Zealand doctor, has helped our planners lose sight of our fundamental needs.” said Dr Matich. Computer records Doctors should learn to apply computer technology to their own and their patients’ advantage," said Dr T. D. Seddon, of Tauranga. He described a system used in Scotland. Doctors recorded data, and this was assessed by the computer. If al! were well, the doctor and patient were told so, and told, too. when the next examination was due. Similarly, if the test were doubtful, the doctor was notified, and the patient brought in for review. Computers also made jtj

easier to recall patients for routine treatments —from a tetanus injection every five years to a full check once a year.

Medical services should be taken to where the people needed them, said Dr W. 1. Glass, of Auckland, the industrial medical consultant of N.Z. Forest Products.

To detect early changes in health, the health service in a country should be organised so that people could seek help without either monetary, time, or distance barriers, and with convenience to themselves, he said. A health service at work could fulfil these criteria for those employed in industry, he said. About 89,000 workers were provided with health services !of varying extent at work, said Dr Glass.