Kaipara Board Fears Effect On Building Plan

Northern Advocate, 30 August 1947, Page 6

Kaipara Board Fears Effect On Building Plan

HOSPITAL AMALGAMATION

(Special) DARGAVILLE, This Day. MEMBERS of the Kaipara Hospital Board fear that the proposed amalgamation of Northland hospital boards might prevent the building of the new hospital at Dargaville. At the meeting of the board on Thursday advice of the conference to be held at Kaikohe on Wednesday was received. The board already has a resolution on the books favouring amalgamation providing local control of district hospitals is retained and a motion opposing the amalgamation scheme was ruled out of order by the chairman (Mr G. Stallworthy).

Majority opinion was against amalgamation, but the scheme was advocated by Messrs J. A. Simpkin and S. S. Green. Both criticised as short-sighted what they called the “consistent opposition to amalgamation” offered by Mr J. A. S. Mac Kay, chairman of the Whangarei board. Strong doubts as to whether the joint specialist scheme of the northern boards could work effectively without some amalgamation were expressed by Dr C. H. Garlick, medical superintendent of the Northern Wairoa Hospital.

"It is essential that facilities for out-patients be provided under the specialist scheme," said Dr Garliek. “It is well known that the steadfast policy of the Whangarei board is to forbid all out-patients. “For these things to work there will obviously have to be some building and increased facilities, presumably belonging to the Whangarei board. CRUX OF MATTER “Administration is not my side; but I am unable to see that a board like this would bear part of the cost for Whangarei. “It is difficult to see how the specialist service could be run without some amalgamation of administration. There was no advantage whatever in Mr Mac Kay’s scheme that the services of an Auckland orthopaedic surgeon could be obtained, said Dr Garlick. .

“NIGGEIi IN WOODPILE” Intimation that the conference of delegates would be held was contained in a letter from the Whangarei board, following a suggestion by the Whangaroa Hospital Board. Business would be consideration of evidence to be placed before the Local Body Commission which will sit in Northland in October, with amalgamation of the six northern boards as one of its main avenues of inquiry; and any other matters of interest to the boards concerned. “It looks as though our suggestion to other boards about progress in building has been cptirely ignored,” Mr W. Collins commented. “They should have been first on the agenda.” “There is always a nigger in the woodpile,” said Mr T. E. Donovan. “Whangarei is looking for grounds to build a new institution. Whangarei has good accommodation, we have practically none, and we must keep our building needs before them.” At the Northern Wairoa Hospital both space and equipment were insufficient, and the institution lacked both a room to keep troublesome patients free from other inmates, and a room where people could sec their dying relatives.

A proper specialist must be domiciled in the North, operating in a base hospital and travelling the North when needed.

“The crux on the medical side is the provision of an adequate specialist service," he stated.

“It is a question if that is compatible with not amalgamating the administration side.” The motion could not be passed until the resolution in favour of amalgamation had been rescinded, Mr Green said.

HARD ROAD? The board must make it clear \vhc-| f her it still favoured the amalgamation j scheme, said Mr Stallworthy. ' Other Northern boards had reached. the conclusion that they would be bet-1 ter without it. * : “A plan four or five yeads ago to: proceed with a building plan was turn-1 ed down by this board, and that action i might mr 4 ke our future movement difficult,” said Mr Collins. j That was his reason for seeking the! support of other boards in the matter j of building, for on its own the Kaipara board might have a hard road to travel. "I am strongly opposed to an amalgamation scheme at all, apart from the Minister’s odiginal scheme for specialist services,” he stated. “That is already on the way, and j will give us all we want. “Amalgamation will give us nothing we have not got already." WHANGAREI ATTITUDE Mr Donovan, moving that the board should state it was opposed to amalgamation, commented that Whangarei appeared to be “out for itself.” On the evidence available it seemed unlikely that the other boards would support amalgamation. “It seems hat we are not going to get the cooperation of other boards in the matter of building—especially from one board which has never cooperated. to my way of thinking,” said Mr G. V. Peake, seconding the motion.

It appeared that the members changed with the wind, said Mr Green, for there was a resolution on the books stating they favoured amalgamation, provided that control of the local hospital was retained, “.•.’here is only one man who has pursued a specific course and kept on that course, although we have opposed him,’’ he declared. “That is Mr Mac Kay, chairman of the Whangarei board We have changed with the wind.” RESOLUTIONS ON BOOKS There were several resolutions on the books relating to amalgamation, the chairman stated: but there had, been so much delay that the boards had had to take matters into their own hands and initiate a form of amalgamation in the specialist services. He doubted whether local hospitals had much to gain from the amalgamation scheme, especially as the stabilised rate of |d was now a fact. Under the circumstances the board would be stronger alone than under an amalgamation scheme, Mr R. Gibson said. Centralisation of administration, an essential part of the amalgamation scheme, was in his opinion not in the best interests of patients from outlying areas, and benefits from specialist services could be obtained equally as well without amalgamation. “DOOR TO OPPORTUNITY” “I voted for the resolution in favour of amalgamation, and I must oppose this motion,” said Mr Simpkin. “I don’t see that amalgamation should take away local control. I think that Mr Nordmeycr’s scheme is the door to opportunity “I agree that Mr Mac Kay has been consistent in opposing amalgamation,” he stated. “As a representative of the Whangarei board I think he has been shortsighted.” Mr Nordmeyer’s scheme, he contended, never intended that the right of local control of hospitals or of buildings should be taken away. He urged that the board’s delegates to the conference should not be tied by a resolution opposing the scheme, for the commission might suggest something suitable for the north as a whole. “I have thought all along that amalgamation of the Northland boards should give us a better medical service than we have,” said Mr Simpkin. “It might even improve the government of hospitals throughout the country.” “The aspect I am most concerned with is improvement of the general medical services of the North, part and parcel of which is the provision of specialist services,” said Dr Garlick. CENTRAL HOSPITAL “Such a service could only work when based on a central hospital like Whangarei, although a T.E. specialist could work without that.” Other specialists would be appointed. to be domiciled in Whangarei. The existing laboratory at the Whangarei Hospital w.as a small concern, which would need enlarging when a pathologist was appointed. Additions would also be necessary to provide for a radiologist, an ear. nose and throat specialist, and an orthopaedic surgeon.

NEED FOR BASE “With Dr Garliek, I doubt if effective specialist services could be instituted without a base hospital, obviously at Whangarei.” he added. “I am at a loss to understand the shortsightedness of the man who has consistently opposed amalgamation. “I know there are disadvantages, but there are tremendous advantages to be gained by the scheme, and I don’t want to see the door slammed against it.” The motion could not be accepted without rescinding the resolution already on the books, said the chairman. The possibility of amalgamation had been the main reason for three years of delay in starting the new hospital, said Mr Donovan.

In view of the attitude of other northern boards, he strongly opposed amalgamation, especially as the Kaipara board would have only one voice on the combined body to press for its new hospital. To introduce side issues now would get the board nowhere. CHANGED OPINION Mr Green: You seconded the resolution in favour of amalgamation. “No man will get anywhere in life without his opinion,” Mr Donovan retorted.. “We want a new hospital, and want it immediately. Amalgamation will only hinder our progress.” At this stage Mr Stallworthy ruled the motion out of order. The chairman, and Messrs W. Collins and J. A. Simpkin, with the medical superintendent and secretary, were appointed as the board’s delegates to the conference at Kaikohe on September 3.