OTAKI HOSPITAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVI, Issue 104, 1 April 1926, Page 7

OTAKI HOSPITAL

QUESTION OF CONTROL. THE POSITION REVIEWED. For years past a bone of contention between the Palmerston North Hospital Board and the Department of Health has been the question of the administration of the Otaki Hospital. Tho matter is again prominently before tho public owing to a recent decision of the board regarding closing the hospital. With a view to enabling the public the better to regard the facts relative to the present dispute, and to ascertain the history of the Otaki Hospital, a reporter this morning interviewed Mr A. J. Phillips, secretary to the Palmerston North Hospital Board. The Otaki institution, the “Standard's” representative was informed, was established 27 or 28 years ago by the Wellington Board as a cottage hospital, serving, inter alia, the Horowhenua County, which was then included in the Wellington Hospital district.

In 1917, when tho Health Department took over the sanatoria for the accommodation of returned soldier patients, it also assumed control of the oottage hospital at Otaki. Shortly afterwards the Horowhenua County seceded from tho Wellington hospital district and became part of tho Palmerston North district. An arrangement was then made between the Palmerston North Hospital Board and tho department that the former should assume no responsibility for the cottage hospital, but that it would guarantee the fees of patients from tho southern end of its district treated at Otaki. The Palmerston North Board, therefore, paid the fees of its patients to the department, and then collected wliat it could from them towards the amount.

Now the Palmerston North Hospital Board has given notice to the department that it is withdrawing its guarantee of fees as from to-day, and the outcome is awaited with interest.

A conference between the hoard members and the Minister took place at Otaki a few days ago, whereat Otaki residents protested against the proposed new arrangement, and the Minister promised to go into tho matter. It is the desire of the Otaki people that the cottage hospital bo given a full medical staff and brought thoroughly up-to-date, whereas the Palmerston North Hospital Board, preferring to concentrate on its main institution, lias offered to station an ambulance at Otaki for the conveyance of patients to Palmerston North. It depends upon the action of the department whether it will be possible, now that the board lias withdrawn its guarantee, for urgent cases to be treated at the Otaki Hospital, the future of which is uncertain. The matter will be fully discussed at a meeting of tho Palmerston North Hospital Board to he held here on April 15.