NORTHERN HOSPITAL SERVICE

Northern Advocate, 7 January 1938, Page 5

NORTHERN HOSPITAL SERVICE

Proposals have been recently brought forward suggesting improvements to the present hospital service, runs a letter to the ‘‘Advocate" under the nom de plume of “Potential Patient.”

I would point out that the farmers and ratepayers generally, are butting in on what is really a national responsibility. The health of the nation is slowly but surely sapped, by causes over which only Parliament has control. Export evidence bearing out this contention is overwhelming. It is the duty of Parliament to ensure that the people have sufficient food of suitable quality, and sufficient means, to procure that food, irrespective of vested interests. Government Responsibility.

Failure of this duty, through inability, or through yielding to outside pressure and the duty of making good the result of such failure, which has resulted in the lower standard of national health, is obviously a Government or national responsibility. It is undoubtedly wrong, and exceedingly foolish, for the representatives of the lowest paid section of the community to be stampeded into accepting this responsibility, even if they had a sound workable scheme to put forward.

Of the two schemes brought forward so far, that of Hokianga is a further loading of a section of the ratepayers, the dairy farmers, with increased annual costs, when the present service has so depleted the reading funds that difficulty in procuring funds to keep up transport to the local dairy factory is obvious from the methods of road maintcviancc, or neglect of such. National System Suggested.

Another suggestion is a central hospital at Whangarei. This would certainly be much the better proposition of the two, but it is very doubtful if the population is large enough at Whangarei to attract the highest skilled specialists required for such a hospital. But the sick and suffering must be provided for, the best skill must be made available, and facilities are necessary for work under the most efficient and favourable conditions.

To this end I would suggest a national system of four central hospitals for the Dominion, situated at Auckland, Wellington. Christchurch and Dunedin. Each hospital should be designed on the most up-to-date fire and earthquake resisting plans, but with plain rectangular reinforced concrete construction throughout. The intervening spaces would be connected with the main central hospitals by means of an air ambulance service. Field Service.

A field service would be maintained by the present country hospitals, but, in the meantime, more heavily subsidised from the national funds, and gradually merged into the national system. It is only logical to maintain that the central hospitals must bo situated where the population is large enough to attract specialists and the patients conveyed to these centres. To attempt to convey the specialist to the patient, is far more likely, to involve loss of life, inefficiency, and undue expense than otherwise.

At a central hospital the specialist is following his routine, he has absolute control of all his cases; he has the most up-to-date appliances and expert nurses and assistants, tho understand his every move and gesture; and he is not worried or distressed unnecessarily. If Specialist Had To Travel.

But if the specialist were taken to a country hospital, he would have comparatively strange nurses and assistants to assist him, the surroundings would be different, but, worse than all this, his nervous equanimity might be upset by a bad passage, a wireless message, etc. Moreover, two or three hours of his time might be occupied where a fraction of the time only, should be necessary. And, further, any patient should, no matter who, be permitted to attend the hospital of his or her choice, on paying the extra transport charges only. Tho hospital fees, of course, are understood.