Hospital planning group formed

Press, 24 July 1985, Page 22

Hospital planning group formed

PA Wellington A new committee of re- • presentatives of public and private hospitals has been set up to advise the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett, on the . bed numbers that should be used to plan future hospital services. The establishment of the committee follows up the introduction of controls on private hospital development, with licences for new or expanded private hospitals issued only when additional beds are shown to be necessary. Dr Bassett said that the committee would allow public and private hospital developments to be considered on an equal basis, and would improve co-ordina-tion in the development of hospital services. The committee will be chaired by Dr Alec Sinclair, director of the Hospitals Division at the Health Department. The committee members , include the chairman of the Waikato Hospital Board, ' Mrs Vai O’Sullivan; the chief executive of the Can- ~ terbury Hospital Board, Mr *> Ron Parker; the medical ” superintendent of the Auck- « land Hospital board, Dr Leslie Honeyman; the chief “ executive of the Southern ” Cross Medical Care Society, “ Mr Peter Smith; the north- « ern director of Presbyterian ” Social Services; and the « principal nurse of Dunedin’s Mater Hospital, Sister Mary « Lucia Hartstone. 7