EMERGENCY HOSPITALS

Greymouth Evening Star, 24 February 1942, Page 8

EMERGENCY HOSPITALS

MINISTER REVIEWS PLANS

AUCKLAND, February 22

The provision of emergency hospital accommodation in the Auckland metropolitan area was further examined on Saturday by the Minister for Education (Mr. Mason) and the Minister for Health (Mr. Nordmeyer), both of whom came to Auckland for the purpose on Friday. Also present at Saturday’s conference were the Director of Education (Dr. C. E. Beeby), the Di rector-General of Health (Dr. M. H. Watt), and representatives of the Auckland Hospital Board. Several important details of the work being done were later discussed by the Minister for Health. Mr. Nordmeyer said the whole question oi emergency hospital accommodation in Auckland had been before the authorities for some time, and the buildings to be taken over had all been earmarked. The visit made by Mr. Mason and himself, with departmental heads, was for the purpose of ensuring that the least possible disturbance would be caused to children’s education when school buildings had to be used.

Mr. Nordmeyer said he was not yet in a position to disclose the number of emergency beds being provided throughout New Zealand. It would, however, run into many thousands.

As far as administration was concerned many beds taken over for emergency purposes, either for camp sick, or for civilian and military casualties, would be administered by local hospital boards. The general scheme for civilian casualties Was that the Emergency Precautions Services would look after those people who could be cared for at first-aid posts, but that the more severely injured would be admitted to hospitals, the hospital boards’ responsibility beginning on the arrival of persons at the hospital doors. Mi - . Nordmeyer was asked whether details of financing treatment had been prepared. He said a final scheme had still to be drawn up. In so far as attention to persons at first-aid posts was concerned, a special feature of an emergency involving the civilian population might well be that those attending to injured at first-aid posts would be so busy that there would be no time to keep records. A scheme would be prepared to meet such difficulties. In the case of hospital admissions, where the usual records could be kept, the social security system would operate quite easily and satisfactorily.

The Minister was asked whether hospital boards could by themselves take over buildings for emergency purposes. He said he alone had such authority. Asked if New Zealand had adequate medical supplies with which to meet an emergency, he said that a few months ago the position was not as satisfactory as he would have liked. Since then a great improvement had been made. There was now a very good reserve supply of drugs, dressings, and other essentials. Those had been dispersed throughout the Dominion.