N.Z. boy on list for new liver

Press, 28 November 1987, Page 1

N.Z. boy on list for new liver

ROBERT LOWE,

By

NZPA correspondent Sydney The Hamilton boy, Regan Chibnall, aged two, has been placed on the liver transplant waiting list at Royal Children’s Hospital in Brisbane, a hospital spokesman said yesterday. Mr Kevin Buckley said Regan’s father, Mr lan Chibnall, had agreed to place his son on the list after discussions with the transplant team.

The decision was made after three days of tests .at the hospital. Mr Buckley said Regan, who suffers from biliary artresia — a malfunction of the bile duct — had a serious liver problem and this was complicated by poor nutrition and a heart abnormality. “lan is aware of the high-risk factor facing Regan and he has requested the transplant team to proceed. We are now awaiting the availability of a suitable donor organ.” However, Mr Buckley said a decision on when a transplant would take place would depend on Regan’s clinical condition at the time.

“He has a nutritional problem and a heart abnormality. It is not the heart abnormality that is worrying, it is the nutritional thing.” Mr Buckley said he had no idea how long it would take to improve Regan’s nutritional condition.

The Merivale Mall in Christchurch is the first New Zealand shopping centre to have installed an EFT-POS system capable of handling transactions through both the Quick-Smart and Cashline networks.

At present the two national networks work in competition with each other and require individual terminals — the Quick-Smart system catering for BNZ, ANZ, National and Westpac cards, and Cashline for Trustee Bank cards. However, the two banking groups have now reached an agreement, which means that by mid-1988 a national EFT-POS centre

will probably be in use, allowing consumers to use their credit cards at any terminal.

When the connection is made, the Merivale Mall’s terminals will automatically be able to take any of the 14 Quick-Smart cards and four Cashline cards. Forty of the 44 shops in the mall are connected to the new EFT-POS network, and these need to have only one terminal on their counter. The terminals will be able to direct the card to the correct bank automatically. The, EFT-POS manager for Westpac, Mr Wilf Layburn, said an integration of the two networks had been sought for some

months, and made a “lot of sense.” He said that retailers who had terminals installed for both networks would be able to decide which suited them best; and continue to use only one terminal for both the trading bank and trustee bank cards. A technical and working group has been established to decide the details of where and how a national centre uniting the two networks will be created.

The group manager of card services for Trustee Banks, Mr lan Murgatroyd, said the group welcomed the agreement. ? "There are always

philosophical differences between the way commercial and trading banks work. It takes time for them to come together and see that there is an advantage to being together.”

Mr Murgatroyd said that Hie two banking groups were of a similar size, and most of them saw the joint network purely as a .delivery service, with no advantages to either bank.

? “The major consideration of a joint nationwide network is to allow it-to be so that every person who carries a card'has the same opportunity to use it through a national system.” ■