Area health board debate

Press, 25 February 1988, Page 2

Area health board debate

Canterbury would become an Area Health Board even if the community did not want it to happen, the Canterbury Hospital Board was told yesterday. A board member, Mr David Lawrence, said that it was extraordinary' that the board had to continue holding meetings with community groups when it knew it was obliged to become an Area Health Board.

“No matter what the community’s feelings are on this, the Minister of Health requires us to be an Area Health Board by March, 1989,” he said.

The board’s chairman, Mr Tom Grigg, said that under the Area Health Board Act hospital boards were required to consult the community.

No official indication had been given by the Minister of Health, Mr Caygill, that hospital boards would have to become Area Health Boards, he said.

However, Mr Caygill has written to the Canterbury board expressing concern that the timeframe adopted by the board for community consultation was “unnecessarily drawn out.” He said he would prefer to see an Area Health Board established “well before March 31, 1989.” Mr Caygill said last evening that he had no power to force an Area Health Board into existence.

Board members at yesterday’s meeting were also concerned about which Area Health Board would include Kaikoura. Mrs Jane Gardiner said that the Marlborough Hospital Board had been canvassing Kaikoura residents on which area they wanted services from.

“There was an unequivocal response that Kaikoura wanted to remain within the Canterbury Hospital Board,” she said.