T.B. SANATORIA

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21385, 21 April 1944, Page 2

T.B. SANATORIA

PUKEORA PURCHASE CO-OPERATIVE SCHEME COOK BOARD’S SUPPORT By unanimous vote, the Cook Hospital Board yesterday agreed to support the proposed formation of a group of seven boards to operate the Pukeora Sanatorium for the treatment of tuberculosis cases. This decision involves acceptance of a share of the capital outlay of £120,000 estimated as the cost of bringing Pukeora up to a modern standard for the treatment of a maximum of 150 patients at a time. The board will pay between £9OO and £IOOO per annum under this heading, and also £l5O per annum for each patient it sends to the institution. Yesterday’s meeting of the board was primarily for discussion of the annual estimates, but after these were disposed of the sanatorium project was placed before members by the chairman, Mr M. T. Trafford, who reported briefly on the recent conference in Hawke’s Bay, at which officers of the Health Department laid infox-mation before delegates of the easteim boards concerned in the Pukeoi’a project. He stated that the conference decided to recommend acceptance of the proposals to the respective boards. Mrs E. R. Black asked whether thex-e was any explanation of the large increase in the estimated cost of work at Pukeora, the board having been told at the outset that £45,000 would cover the necessary re-modelling, whereas the figure now stated was £120,000? No Surplus Beds Likely The chairman explained that when the project was first put up to the board, he had been worried by the possibility that when the Wellington and Auckland boards built their own sanatoria, and withdrew their patients from Pukeora, there would be more beds there than the seven eastern boards would need. They had been assured, however, that there would be no unwanted beds, this being the result of a Health Department suiwey. The expenditure of £120,000 would not be made in a hurry. Mrs Black repeated her inquii-y as to why the boards now had to face an outlay of £120,000 instead of £45.000. and the chairman explained .that when the smaller: figure was quoted, Otaki sanatorium was incorporated in the scheme, and it was proposed to deal with female patients there, leaving Pukeora for male patients. It had now been decided to develop Pukeora for male and female adults,’ and also for child patients. In reply to Mrs Ada E. Beer, the chairman said that the annual cost to the Cook board for capital expenditure would be just over £9OO, and the maintenance cost would depend on how many patients were sent from this district, the present basis being £l5O per patient. He understood that priority would be' given to the boards within the group. Share of Capital Charges

Mr H. J. F. Tombleson said that he had been worried by the prospect of entering into an agreement which pledged the board’s rating area for a scheme developed outside that area. With regard to the need for suitable tuberculosis accommodation, he was convinced; he was satisfied with Dr Theodora Hail’s statement that there were 12 patients now awaiting sanatorium treatment. He would have liked to see some comparative figures relative to the establishment of an institution in the Gisborne area, but it appeared that everyone agreed that it would be too costly. He had shared the chairman’s eifneern as t'o what might happen after metropolitan boards withdrew their patients, for the Health Department’ officers had estimated for a total of 150 beds, whereas in the allocation among the seven contributing boards only 45 beds appeared to be required. He felt reassured on this point after hearing the Health Depaii:ment officers on this point; and felt, moreover, that if there were not enough patients to fill the available beds it would be a cause for satisfaction.

Another point taken up by Mr Tombleson was that metropolitan boards would pay a share of the capital costs, as well as maintenance, while their patients remained in Pukeora. That, would take some of the weight off the eastern boards; and also probably would speed up their efforts to get their own buildings completed. The chairman: We had that in mind. ■Mrs E. R. Scott pointed out that ' there would be a more rigorous search for tuberculosis cases, when the accommodation was available in sanatoria. " Facilities Badly Needed Mrs Beer felt that pounds, shillings and pence should not be the standard by which the project was judged. The country badly needed more up-to-date sanatoria for the treatment of tuberculosis. ' “I should not like to have it thought that I was against the proposal,” said Mrs Black. “I wished particularly to know why the costs had jumped so remarkably. The only explanation we have is that we are to provide beds for women and children at Pukeora; and we have had no details.” The Chairman: The £45,000 was only a rough estimate by departmental officers, made in the early stages. The revised estimate represents what it will take to do the job properly, doing away with the shacks at Pukeora and erecting modern buildings. Mr Tombleson explained that Pukeora sanatoria had been started after the last war for army patients, and there were shacks up all over the place, now in very poor condition. The choice was to try and repair those Shacks, or put up good modern buildings with adequate facilities. This explanation was supported by Mr G. D. Muirhead, who said that most people realised that the old buildings were unsuitable, inefficient and undesirable. The £120,000 scheme would retain the nurses’ home, which was new, and certain of the other buildings which were in fair repair; it would also establish the required new buildings and give adequate provision for tuberculosis treatment. It was only by co-operate effort that these facilities could be provided, and he felt that the board should feel fortunate in sharing it. ‘ The chairman’s motion that the board support the scheme was seconded by Mrs Beer and carried unanimously. Messrs M. T. Tra fiord and S. T. Gray were appointed delegates to the provisional sanatorium committee, with Mr G. D. j Muirhead as proxy for either in case of necessity.