Council medical centre?

Press, 8 September 1976, Page 13

Council medical centre?

A medical centre may be I established in the Bishopdale larea with the assistance of ! the Waimairi County Council. Members of the council’s finance and by-laws committee discussed the problems of medical care in the area, and gave general support to assistance for such a scheme at its monthly meeting. Last month the committee wrote to the Department of Health seeking information on medical centres. It was told by the department that Government finance was

available to medical practi-i tioners but not to local authorities. A minimum of three doctors was necessary to qualify for assistance for a group practice, and loans up to 90 per cent of the approved cost of the project could be made, or $20,000 for each doctor, whichever was least, the department said The department outlined the requirements for financial assistance, but said it thought that because the Health Centre Advisory Comimittee was to reveiw health-

i centre proposals, any loan .! proposal by the council was J not likely to be supported by the department. ’■ The department said that ■ present economic conditions ; could also make it difficult ■ for the council to be granted t the necessary loan finance. Cr I. Calvert told the com- , mittee that local residents should not have to travel in--1 to Christchurch to obtain • medical treatment. The com- : mittee decided to write to ; the Government asking it to ■ put aside an area of land -‘suitable for a medical centre.