Hospital Buildings

Hutt News, Volume 11, Issue 38, 2 March 1938, Page 5

Hospital Buildings

WISDOM OF TEMPORABY WORK QUESTIONED. The opinion that the board ought to stop and look where it was going before it embarked upon any further building, was expressed by Dr. T. L. Parr at last Thursday's meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board. In a few years, he said, the tenvpoiary buildings which the board was considering erecting would have served their usefulness. "What concerns me is that these (buildings will have to be demolished in a few years' time, if a new hospital is built," he said. He advocated that; the board think seriously whether a convalescent home would relieve the pressure on the present institution. One could be operated without much medical attention. "Would it not be better to put the temporary buildings on the gTound at the Hutt and use them as a convalescent home 1 ?" he said. "That would relieve the strain here and those buildings could remain at the Hutt as an emergency hospital in time of disaster or epidemie, or they could form the nucleus of a hospital there." Temporary buildings in Wellington, he said, would be a heavy expense—about £20,000 in the next three, years, according to figures which had been placed before the meeting. Dr. Parr moved that the matter be referred to the building committee for discussion. The chairman, Mr. J. Glover, said that the position so far as convalescent homes were concerned was that opinion conflicted as to what they should be. Dr. Parr: A convalescent home does not need auxiliary services. The chairman agreed, and referring to the report of Dr. E. A. Shore, submitted to the recent conference with the Minister, said that the department did not consider convalescent homes. Dr. Parr: They're all behind. The chairman: In my opinion convalescent homes arc very necessary, ibut just as expensive to run as a hospital. The whole matter at present is in the air. We have not yet got any ground at the Hutt and we don't know where we stand until we know what the Government is going to do. The matter was then referred to the ■building committee. .. , . "We may have some information about it in time for the next meeting," Mr. Glover remarked.