Ten hospitals might close

Press, 7 April 1988, Page 2

Ten hospitals might close

Ten small hospitals in the Canterbury Hospital Board area face the possibility of closing if the Government adopts the recommendatiojns of the Gibbs report qn hospital and related services. The I closings would form part of I the efficiency gains identified by the task force The savings estimate jwas based, on a study by the Chicago accounting firmof Arthur Anderson and company. The study referred to the closing of hospitals with less than 100 beds or an occupancy rate of less than 70 per cent. Hospitals providing specialist care or meeting regional needs would be exempt. Over all, about 43 hospitals throughout! New Zealand were targeted for closing, 42 of J which had fewer than 100 beds. Although the hospitals were not identified, given the criteria in the Anderson study, 10 out of 18

hospitals in the Canter,bury I Board’s area might face if the recommendations are adopted. : Most are smaller rural hospitals with a mixturd Of geriatric, matei’nity,' and emergency beds. \ | | The board’s last annual report shows that the hos-J pitals iat Akaroa (five I beds), : Kaikoura (22); Oxford (15), Rangiora (14), Waikari (9), Lincoln (7), i Darfield (8), Ellesmere ;(7), Jubilee (78) and the Chatham Islands' (4) could be affected by a drive to achieve savings! which included about $25 million a year from “utilir rtion of institutions.” j However, given the ex : emption for hospital? which meet ■ regional heeds, health services sources believe that it is unlikely that the Kaikoura and ] Chatham Island hospitals would be closed. I . If I the recommendation is adopted, the future of others remains uncertain!