Abortion facilities to cost hospital more

Press, 15 August 1978, Page 6

Abortion facilities to cost hospital more

The new abortion laws, could add more than $30,0001 to the North Canterbury Hos-j pital Board’s costs over the; next few months. To provide more space fori clinical and counselling work: associated with the provi-l sions of the Contraception, Sterilisation and Abortion; Act. the board is forced to 1 erect temporary premises at Christchurch Women’s Hospital. The relocatable building will cost more than $30,000 to erect near the hospital’s out-patient department. T he medical superintendent-in-chief for the board (Dr I McH. Berry) said yester-; day he was concerned that the work would affect financial priorities.

“However, it is forced on us: but this issue is out of all balance.” he said. The board which will apply to the Health Department for a special grant, considers it unlikely that the building

will be in position before next year. Christ church Women’s Hospital has a waiting list of 600 women wishing to have sterilisation operations. Dr Berry said that the increase in the number of

i| women seeking sterilisation11 was an indication of changing! social attitudes. !| “We do not know how:I many of these are for social 11 land how many for medical!' :! reasons.” he said. I: •I The board had reduced itsp .; waiting lists for general sur- j ijgery from 8000 in 1969 top i!3000 at present, he said. This! :! decrease had taken place! -although there had been no’ increase in the number of! 1 ’-hospital beds. i The future use of Christ- . ; I church Women’s Hospital; will be the subject of a. •! special meeting between re-|i ■ presentatives of the board • and the Canterbury faculty I t of the College of General! • t Practitioners. I

The possible use of the hos- ; pital in about 10 years as a ; long-stay geriatric unit has (been investigated by the !board. This proposal,' howlever, is only one of six sug-l jgested for ihe buildings once; I a new department of obste-. ; tries and gynaecology is built ■on the Christchurch Hospital! I site. No investigations have yet. been done on the other pos-' ■sible uses of the building. j Among these are Ihe suggestions that the hospital might be used as a treatment .centre for alcoholics; a com'munity hospital providing short-term general hospital i care: or a hostel for relatives of people admitted to other i hospitals in the city.