Relief for Queen Mary Hospital

Press, 10 March 1987, Page 2

Relief for Queen Mary Hospital

Wellington reporter Some people who would have gone to Queen Mary Hospital at Hanmer Springs can now be treated nearer home. This was being done to relieve some of the pressure on Queen Mary Hospital, said the Minister of Health, Dr Bassett. He was replying to questions from Mr Jim Gerard (Nat., Rangiora) about a report that the hospital “is saturated” and not coping with the number of patients.

By the end of January, Queen Mary Hospital had had a waiting list of 147 people, Dr Bassett said, and this problem had arise because of the unique position of the hospital. It was a national unit which treated alcohol and drug abusers from all around the country. It had 117 available beds with an occupancy rate of 81 per cent last December, and an average occupancy rate of 80 per cent. That was because of a

difficulty in attracting suitably qualified staff, in spite of an extensive advertising campaign by the Canterbury Hospital Board specifically directed towards staffing Queen Mary Hospital. Now that the number of other alcohol and drug treatment agencies around the country was increasing, this enabled people to be treated closer to home and subsequently relieve some of the pressure on Queen Mary Hospital, he said.