‘Missing’ wheelchairs worry hospital

Press, 23 October 1980, Page 4

‘Missing’ wheelchairs worry hospital

Health reporter Christchurch p*opl* "hanging on co wheelchairs valued at more than <BOO.OOO and the health authorities fear that many of them may never be returned. The orthotic department of Christchurch Hospital has HSOwheelchaire on loan to patients. Most of them are valued at $4OO each but some cost as much as $9OO. The Nurse Maude District Nursing Association also has about 70 wheelchairs on loan. UnHke the orthotic depertinent, which provides the wheelchairs free on a specialist’s recommendation, the association charges a small monthly rental. The orthotic department has a list of people to whom the wheelchairs have been lent but has no way of checking if the chains are still in use.

"Many of them will aim* ply have to be written off: we must rely on people being honest and returning them to us," eaid Mr M, Hitchens, the head of the department, yesterday. A few of the wheelchairs have turned up in junk yards or auction rooms. Mr Hitchens said that the Christchurch Co-otdinatins Council for the Handicapped was supposed to keep a Check on what happened to the wheelchairs but it Appeared that no staff wAs available to do this.

- “This all represents a big investment of public money but at present we have no way of keeping people from

hanging on to these" he said; . Miss Nancy TaiL supervising principal nurse for th* Nurse Maude Association, said that wheelchair® seemed to "simply disappear.” When checks were made it was often found that incorrect addresses and false telephone numbers had been given. "It is a pretty raw deal as we always have people wanting these wheelchairs and those who are holding on to these make the work of our 87 nurses all that more difficult.” said Miss TaiL "W« certainly do not have the time or the staff to be chasing up these wheelchairs."