OTAKI HOSPITAL

Manawatu Standard, Volume L, Issue 303, 18 November 1930, Page 10

OTAKI HOSPITAL

CATERING FOR THE FUTURE. FOR MATERNITY CASES ONLY. The expense entailed to the Palmerston North Board in keeping the Otaki Hospital open has been’a'bone of contention for some time past. In August the Otaki Hospital committee considered. that the unsatisfactory position which* had arisen was owing to the small average number of inmates. As the outcome of negotiations and. discussions with - departmental representatives, a further meeting of the committee was held at the Otaki Hospital on November 7 when the following attended: Mr 6. A. Monk (chairman of the Otaki committee), Mr J. K. Hornblow, Mr F. J. Ryder and the managing secretary of the Palmerston North Hospital (Mr Phillipps), leave of absence having been granted Mr G. P. Catley. The following departmental officers had been also, present: Dr. Ward, the acting Director-General of Health, Mr A. Keisenberg (secretary, Department of Health), Dr. Shore (director, division of hospitals, Department of Health), Dr. Paget (inspector of hospitals, Department of Health). At that meeting the chairman had explained the position which had arisen, pointing out that, in the opinion of the committee, the average numbers in the hospital did not warrant the retention of both the medical and surgical side of the hospital, and that the committee had framed certain recommendations, but before passing them on to the board, desired the advice and assistance of the departmental officers. Mr Hornblow endorsed the chairman’s remarks, pointing out that for an expenditure of £2400 this year, the board was reaping very little real benefit at Otaki.

After a general discussion on all points involved, it had been unanimously agreed that th© following recommendations be submitted to the Palmerston North Hospital Board and such were duly presented yesterday. _ The matter was, however, dealt with, in committee, but, following the recommendations being adopted, they were mad© public to the press, although three clauses in respect to the conditions entered into with the resident doctor were withheld pending tlieir being agreed to by the doctor and the Department of Health. The detailed clauses were:—(1) That the board close the medical and surgical side of the Otaki Hospital(2) that the Otaki Hospital be maintained by the board in. the future only for maternity cases, sub-dividing the end wards into cubicles if and as necessarv; (3) that the staff of . the hospital he reduced to one sister in charge, two other qualified maternity nurses or midwives, one cook and one housemaid ; (4) that both Dr. Milne and Dr. Atmore bo offered the right to treat private maternity cases in the Otaki Hospital at a fee of £5 ss, to be payable by the patient; : (7) that it is not necessary to station an ambulance at Otaki; (8) that in view of the proposed alterations regarding hospital services and ambulance in this part of the district, the boar 4bo recommended to reduce the present scale of ambulance charges for removal of patients to public hospital, and to fix the maximum fee at £l. It is suggested that the scale be within a radius of, say, 10 miles of the Palmerston North Hospital, 10s. Outside this radius to anv part of the board’s district, £l. Clauses 5, 6 and 9 were withheld in the meantime.