MAJOR OPERATIONS

Northern Advocate, 11 June 1926, Page 5

MAJOR OPERATIONS

AT BASE HOSPITALS ONLY. 7 i, OTAKI COMPLICATION. 1 s DISCUSSED WITH MINISTER, s PALMERSTON N., This Day. i A conference took place at Palmeri ston North yesterday between the Min--3 ister of Health, the Hon J. A. Young, 3 the Director-General of Health, Dr T. ! A. Valintine, and the Palmerston Hospital Board. The principal matters t were what form of hospital should be : continued at Otaki and the question i of establishment of a maternity liospi--1 tal at Palmerston. In reference to the former matter, i the Minister suggested that Otaki ; should not be left without any local : service. He suggested that the Board j ■ should establish a maternity ward of four beds and two other beds for re- , eeption of urgent sickness and accident cases, which would be transferred to | j Palmerston by ambulance at the ear-' | best possible moment. I No longer, said the Minister, would j major sub-hospitals be allowed. In fu- ( ture all major operations should be performed at base hospitals, of which I there would be only one for each dis- j trict, and Otaki was not going to be j made a major sub-hospital. { The Minister realised the difficulties j of the Board, but thought it should i provide some maternity treatment at ] Otaki. j Board members deemed the Minis-1 ter’s suggeston too costly, stating theyj would rather retain the old system. It ( was pointed out that when a maternity I hospital was established at Palmerston, j trained maternity nurses would give! service to country districts by going j to the homes; hence, perhaps, there was no need for a maternity ward at Otaki, in which ease the Board would ■ consider the rest of the Minister’s suggestions anent emergency wards.]. After lengthy discussion, it was j ■ unanimously resolved to leave the de-|: eision entirely in the hands of the *. Minister to say what the Board must do. In reference to the maternity hospital, Mr J. A.. t Nash, M.P., said that the St. Helen’s Home Fund, amounting to ■some £3300, was now offered to the - Board unconditionally toward building j such an.., institution. The estimate! cost of .the building was £BSOO, but the ! total probably would be The j Minister -was asked for a 24s subsidy j in the pound on the total cost. 1^ . The Minister replied that the Board! 47 I had a good ease for that subsidy an' s the amount raised, but not on the total L cost of the building, and he disputed j r the contention that what was now! asked had been promised by earlier | Ministers. In any ease the maximum 1 subsidy was now 20 shillings. I

The matter was deferred to enable Mr Nash to go into the question with the Minister at Wellington.—Press Assn.