Bigger grant expected

Press, 1 April 1980, Page 6

Bigger grant expected

The Government’s lastminute $2.1 million grant to the. North -. Canterbury Hospital Board for the 1979-80 financial year is less than the officers of the board had expected. The ’deputy chief executive of the board (Mr G. Davies) said last evening the board had expected $2.5 million. As a result, it would-be about $200,000 in deficit in the 1979-80 financial year. Mr Davies said the lateness of the grant was a result of a misunderstanding between the board and the

Health Department , in the previous financial year. - . The- board had already spent $2.1 million at : the end of - February this year, he said. - ■ ' - The treasurer of the board (Mr F. R. Harrison) agreed with Mr Davies, saying that the grant? was less than the board had. been working towards. ‘ , ’•

“We hoped we would have been advised ‘earlier -than this, but We understand the difficulties the Health Department \ arid the Treasury are working under. It is significantly less than we expected, but we will just have to wait

and see how we pan opt,” he said. X- < Mr Davies said the {grant would pay for staff which had been negotiated for at the end of 1978 and 'for. an additional 45 beds : that .'had been added to the new} wan! block at the hospital. < < ■ : The new block has < a total of 200 beds, but 150 of these are making jiupM for those which were' lost with the closing of. old wards. '■ ■ : The board would be more interested in its grant, for; the coining financial yeAr rather than money that hadl already been’ A spent, Mr Davies’said.-'-.i; < ,-