Hospital report held up at Health Dept?

Press, 3 August 1983, Page 8

Hospital report held up at Health Dept?

The long-awaited Government report on the stage three redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital still has not arrived as promised. The Health Department in Wellington told the North Canterbury Hospital Board that its copy of the Govern-ment-appointed review committee findings had been sent last week. Board members have been anxiously waiting to see the report recommendations, said to cut $lO million from the $lOO million estimated cost of the proposed redevelopment. The board chairman, Mr T. C. Grigg, said the delay now appeared to be at the Minister of Health’s office. The board was expecting its promised copy of the report any day with a covering letter from the Minister, Mr Malcolm.

“I think he is doing it with the best of intentions,” Mr Grigg said. “If he wants to do a little more work on it himself before we put our people to work, then that is

all to the good.” Board staff were working on plans for already-ap-proved progress on the main building of the redevelopment. When the report arrived, they would switch their attention to its recommendations.

Mr Grigg said the board wanted to be prepared for a meeting with the Christchurch City Council which was set for later this month. The council became involved when Mr Malcolm suggested including a small corner of Hagley Park in the hospital to make more room for buildings. The board’s chief executive officer, Mr R. I. Parker, had planned to make “discreet enquiries" while in Wellington on other business yesterday, but his flight had been cancelled because of fog at Christchurch Airport. However, Mr Grigg said he would talk to the Minister about the report today at an executive meeting of the Hospital Boards’ Association in Wellington.