Board ‘responding since 1983’

Press, 11 October 1988, Page 4

Board ‘responding since 1983’

By

PAT TAYLOR

in Greymouth The Minister of Health, Mr Caygill, had every right to ask questions of the West Coast Area Health Board, and the board would be happy to respond, but the point had to be made that it had been responding to cuts since 1983, the acting general manager, Mr Peter Kerridge, said yesterday. Mr Caygill had told a deputation from the Save Our Hospital committee in Hokitika that other boards appeared to have kept within their tighter budgets without closing insti-

tutions. However, Mr Kerridge said that many of the other boards were not under-funded and therefore had never had to be concerned. “We have been making on-going economy measures for years,” he said. Despite restraints of $1.5 million since popula-tion-based funding was introduced, the board was still further away from equity. This indicated that the pressure of the past could continue and worsen. A board member, Mr Peter Neame, has written

to the Minister asking him to say whether he is implementing the recommendations of the Gibbs report on hospital and related services. He said that unless the West Coast had a special funding arrangement, small hospitals would close.

Mr Neame said that the Government had promised after the Mandi Ward dispute at the Westland Hospital three years ago to exempt the board from the population-based funding formula if necessary.