Professor suggests health news reform

Press, 22 June 1989, Page 7

Professor suggests health news reform

By

ANABRIGHT HAY

A lack of adequate health information is leading people to “quack” medicine and dubious remedies, according to Professor Don Beaven.

He told the Canterbury Area Health Board’s planning and resources committee yesterday that better health information should be available. His comments were made during a discussion on whether the committee should recommend an increase in the annual grant to the Canterbury Medical Library for this financial year.

A 1987 report to the National Library stated that New Zealand medical and health collections were at best comparable to those in Malaysia and poorer than those in Melbourne. Professor Beaven said a focus group should be set up to provide adequate funding of medical information. He recommended a 6 per cent increase in the annual grant to the medical library. This was defeated and a 5.1 per cent increase approved. Professor Beaven said

the library should be used by every board member, people with health related interests and the wider community. Such information was necessary if people were to make the right decisions. Information could reduce road accidents, increase health maintenance and reduce legal action on malpractice, he said.

The board’s medical superintendent-in-chief, Dr Ross Fairgray, and a board member, Mrs June

Gardiner, spoke out against the increase, citing the need to reduce spending in line with task force recommendations. Rest home subsidies The rest home subsidy should be extended to allow suitable elderly former psychiatric patients to be cared for in rest homes, the committee recommended. Staff from the Social Welfare Department and the board have been negotiating an agreement for the provision of rest home subsidy B for former psychiatric patients. The agreement covers concerns expressed by the board that the quality of care in rest homes and the community is at an acceptable level. Committee members raised points concerning standards of care and suitability, assessment, eligibility and monitoring of patients to ensure the smooth running of the scheme. These concerns will be passed on to the board with the recommendation to extend the subsidy.