Heart unit defended

Press, 28 August 1978, Page 21

Heart unit defended

The proposed Christchurch 1 heart unit should not be < allowed to become a “medical football,” said the chair- i man of the Cardiac Com- i panions, (Mr J. P. Gavigan). i Both main political parties ] had given the 1 • approval for ] the unit d-ring the last three i years, Mr Gavigan said. 1 Mr Gavigan criticised last 1 Wednesday’s article by the s health reporter of “The i Press” which, he said, was a "further attempt to under-1 mine the Christchurch heart i unit proposal.” i “Aided, and abetted by Dr Berry’s latest statistics, the 1 article aims at raising doubts 1 and creating confusions in i the minds o the public,” said Mr Gavigan, (Dr L. McH. I Berry is Medical Superin- 1

tendent in Chief of the North: Canterbury Hospital Board.). Cardiac surgeons and administrators overseas had shown that the cost of cardiac surgery was a small price to pay to return heart patients to’ health and full working capacity, particularly since such patients no longer needed to draw social security benefits, Mr Gavigan said. “Their tax contributions will return to normal, thus repaying the cost of the operation within two years. “Many New Zealanders have repaid the cost of a heart operation within 12 months.” Mr Gavigan said the capita] cost of the operating theatres (for the heart unit)

uwas a worth-while investment in local medical facilij ties. i “Canterbury is increasing 8 I per cent between each cen- : sus and the total population I is steadily approaching ■ 500,000. Many will not accept i the need for these facilities I at the local level. They will i only become concerned when their near relatives and friends become the next patients waiting in the : queue.” The health reporter re- . plies: “The point of the article was not whether ! cardiac by-pass surgery was effective, but whether New Zealand can afford another ; heart unit while the Dunedin i unit remains under-used.”