Smoke-free support lacking?

Press, 24 September 1987, Page 3

Smoke-free support lacking?

The community was disappointed with the Canterbury Hospital Boad’s lack of support for declaring its hospitals nosmoking zones, said a board member, Dr Jocelyn Hay, yesterday. Dr Hay moved at a health services committee meeting earlier this month that the hospitals should be declared nosmoking areas. Her motion was lost but the committee recommended that the board’s present policies be reinforced by a clear indication that the board “actively discouraged smoking.” The recommendation was accepted by yesterday’s board meeting, but Dr Hay continued to oppose the lack of a total ban. “Various comments by the public have been passed on to me. The community is disappointed with the board’s lack of support and some members of the public have questioned what the function of a hospital really is. We should be setting an example, especially as the dangers of passive involuntary smoking have been clearly pointed out,” she said. Mrs Joyce Mclver referred to comments by the Minister of Health, Mr Caygill, which emphasised protective and preventive aspects of health. “These apply to conditions in hospitals, especially in protecting patients from the involuntary aspects of smoking and its associated strains,” she said. An absolute ban on smoking in the hospitals would be extremely difficult to police, said the medical superintendent-in-chief, Dr Ross Fairgray.

“Unless a rule can be implemented it is of no use, especially if the board has to decide hwo the rule should be imposed and who should impose it.”

Other board members criticised the lack of nosmoking signs in Christchurch Hospital.