Hospital boards may go

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33453, 7 February 1974, Page 12

Hospital boards may go

The possibility of abolishing hospital boards and district health hospitals and replacing them with the regional health authorities with a responsibility for all health services in a region was being discussed by the Government, said the Director - General of Health (Dr H. J. H. Hiddlesfone) yesterday. Speaking at the first conference of the New Zealand

r College of General Prac- | tioners, Dr Hiddlestone said . that the Government was exL amining the organisation and ■ structure of the medical ser- > vices and trying to eliminate , the divisions of hospital practice, public health and private ’ practice. ■ He said that a regional I health authority would overJsee hospital, public health ' and community care. ■ Details of the proposals would probably be published , in a White Paper later this year, said Dr Hiddlestone. This would allow careful study and constructive criti- > cism. Ac o ni'Aliminartr cf&ri

As a preliminary step towards integration several hospital boards were appointing medical officers of health to their part-time staff. From this it was hoped would evolve the 1974 concept of the community physician whose job it would be to ensure that the problems of general practice were duly considered in local policy decisions.

With the regional health authorities it rvould be important that an effective, representative medical advisory committee be established. This must include adequate general practice representation so that planning to meet the community needs took full account of the centra! role of general practice, said Dr Hiddlestone. He said there was evidence of an awakened interest in general practice among senior students and young graduates. This interest had to be fostered and developed for the good of New Zealand. “A broader functional role Ifor nurses; effective use of trained medical social workers; efficient medical records; integration of domiciliary services of all types under the doctor’s direction —all these must be effectively employed. The department is keen to foster these ends,” said Dr Hiddlestone. Dr Hiddlestone assured the conference that early and full consultation on matters relating to general practice would be his aim in the future.

AMENDMENT MISTRUSTED I He said that the section! of the 1970 amendment to the Hospitals Act relating to health centres appeared to many doctors to be legisla-; tion "passed without adequate consultation. The result was suspicion and mistrust. It was feared that this legislation represented some Machiavellian manipulation of private practice, which could lead eventually to a salaried service controlled by hospital boards. Subsequently, after 14 months of discussion, the council of the Medical Association of New Zealand asked for a ministerial committee to investigate the development of these centres and their staffing.

"Those 14 months could have been saved by adequate prior consultation,” said Dr Hiddlestone.