Abortion numbers grow

Press, 15 July 1982, Page 6

Abortion numbers grow

A restriction on admissions for abortions at Christchurch Women's. Hospital.. would be difficult to. accept, said the chairman, of the North Canterbury Hospital- Board, Mr T.,C. Grigg, yesterday. He ■ told the board’s health services committee that he would hate to break the practice of allowing, patients to be referred and admitted to the hospital of their choice. The committee was considering a recommendation by .the medical superintend-ent-in-chief, Dr R. A. Fairgray, to limit the admissions for abortions to women living within the board’s area. Dr Fairgray made the re-, commendation to ease the

increasing workload on . staff at the hospital. He said the restriction Should, stand until better abortion facilities were available. Of the 1008 abortions performed at. the hospital during the last 12 months/ 2Q9 admissions came from outside the board’s area. One admission was from Hamilton and the rest came from the South Island. Mr Grigg said he realised the pressure staff at the hospital were under but he was reluctant to decline admissions. Patients were often referred to different hospitals in New Zealand. “We have patients sent to Auckland, Wellington, and Dunedin, for a variety of

conditions. I. would hate to ibreak that principle and not accept admissions,” he said. . Mrs J. M. Waters said that many other areas 1 -in the .South Island did not have facilities for abortions. She ' suggested the boards write to other, hospital board to "point out their obligations.” The chairman of the committee, Mrs L. C< : Gardiner, said that. nobody “on this board or in Wellington” had expected the number of , abortions performed at the hospital to .increase to the extent they had. < She said the board should ’ make further submissions to ; the Health Department sup- i

porting a free-standing abortion clinic in Christchurch and underlining the effects the increased load was having on the hospital. Mr C. M. Sisson said he -was concerned about the effect the increased demand for abortions was having on other services provided at the hospital.,. "The Contraception, Sterilisation; and Abortion Act has shown that this is a social issue rather than a medical one. Our priorities should be to medical services,” he said. The abortion facilities subcommittee • will be reconvened to discuss the issue and report to the August meeting of the committee.