OTAKI SANATORIUM

Evening Post, Volume CV, Issue 101, 30 April 1923, Page 7

OTAKI SANATORIUM

QUESTION OF MAINTENANCE

DEPARTMENT CRITICISED.

The Palmeivston North Hospital Board journeyed to Otaki on Thursday and inspected the cottage hospital and sanatorium „there. Prior to returning 'home the members of the party^ were fcntertained at afternoon tea, when the' pro-, posed action of the Health Department that the Pukeroa, (Waipukurau) and Otaki sanatoria be maintained by. the, joint boards of the North Island was discussed. , : i •> • ■

In this connection, Mr. Hornblow sugi; gested that a reply should be sent to the Department and reasons drawn top why they should not take over "the institutions. It might be' suggested that there be a conference of board?, in this matter.' Sir James Wilson stated that:suchV conference had already been proposed by the Department, the proposal of which they must resist.

Mr. Hornbjow said that of late 'economies ha,d been effected in many State Departments, and more recently in the ■ Health Department. The sanatoria had been very costly, and it would be. unfair to place their maintenance on the hospital boards. Were the responsibility of management,' to be placed en the/boards they would still have dual control, and the proposal of the Department must be resisted. Dr. Valintine, Piyec-tor-General of Health, was "turning a somersault" in n<jw trying to throw the. responsibility on the boards, for the op- k posits had been his professed intentions some time ago. . , Mr. Monk, agreed that the proposal must be resisted, and Sir James-Wilson said there would be many financial problems to be faced jf the board had to ad-: minister the Otaki sanatorium—especially iv the matter of bowdwicg, for that they would have To do. "If we accept responsibility in this matter of tuber*, cular cases it may be the thin «nd of the wedge to/thrust upon us mental cases also," he stated. . ■/•■;'."•■;;: ■ ;;

Members were at one on this point, and it was decided to take action on the lines suggested by. Mr. Horn blow. To a "Standard' reporter the secretary, Mr. Fraser, stated that were all the hospital boards in the North Island to pay their quota according to capital value as suggested, it was estimated.by .the Department that - Palmerston vNortiv would have to contribute annually 7 SiO93" by subsidy and levy. It had to be remembered, also, that between the capital value of the Wellington and PalmerBton North Hospital Board districts thera was not a great deal of difference, the figures being £35,852,574 and £25.257,----764 respectively. As many more patients would come from Wellington than from Pahnerston North, it would be seen that the proposed basis of contributions was hardly fair. In paying the fees of patients from its own district at the sanatorium the Palmerston North board was now only put to the expense of abouti £500 per annum.