HOSPITAL CONGESTION

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1935, Page 9

HOSPITAL CONGESTION

MORE BUILDING LARGE SURGICAL BLOCK BOARD MEETS IN PRIVATE I Special to “Northern Advocate:’s AUCKLAND, This Day. The Auckland Hospital Board decided, at a special meeting yesterday, after having consulted with Dr. M. H. Watt, Director-General of Health, and Dr. R. A. Shore, that steps be taken to secure the necessary finance and authority for the erection of a surgical block at the main hospital, and a chest hospital on a site yet to be fixed. The board also decided to proceed with the extension of the office accommodation at the Kitchener Street building. Mr. W. Wallace, the chairman, said Dr. Watt wished that the discussion be taken in committee. Dr. E. B, Gunson objected, saying that the public was entitled to know what the board was discussing. He moved that the discussion be taken in open board. The motion was lost, those voting with Dr. Gunson being Mrs. Anderton, Dr. ■Hastings and Mr. J. Waddell. After -the meeting it was stated by Mr. Wallace that Dr. Shaw had traversed the whole position as set out in the report of a special subcommittee of the board and the staff executive committee, and he had approved of the report as a whole. He considered that the most urgent requirement at the hospital today was a block to provide for surgical cases, casualty cases and administrative offices. Mr. Wallace said that the accommodation proposed would provide for a very few new patients, but would relieve the verandahs of about 150 oeds.- The verandahs could then be used for the purpose for which they were intended 1 —the wheeling of patients out to give them the benefit of sunshine and fresh air. The subcommittee’s report was endorsed as a whole, said Mr. Wallace, and a motion was carried to proceed with the work. The only one voting against it was Dr. Gunson, who asked that his vote be recorded. f Dr. Gunson, when interviewed, stated that he considered the hospital did not require another bed. The present scheme was /simply a resurrection of- a scheme put up to the board a couple of years ago under a new guise. That scheme was for a large building, for more beds and an administrative block, and it was desperately negatived by the board at the time. The surgical block would be very costly. Dr. Gunson said that he objected to the board going into committee, because he thought that when the expenditure of a very considerable amount of public money was being considered, the public was jgjhitled to know what was going on. “What is needed,” added Dr. Gunson, “is the building of a recovery hospital to relieve the congestion at the Auckland Public Hospital, rather than an addition to the present building.”