Completion May Have To Await Legislation

Northern Advocate, 15 January 1948, Page 4

Completion May Have To Await Legislation

HOSPITAL AMALGAMATION

WELLINGTON, Thur. (P.A.)—The plan for amalgamation of the Northern hospital districts into one area, which has been promulgated by the Local Government Commission, has first to be set out in an Order-in-Gouncil. No information is available as to when this will be done, but the matter is in the hands of the Hospitals Division of the Health Department.

One problem will arise over the local committees which have to be established in the hospital districts to be amalgamated The Local Government Commission has provided for representative committees of management for various institutions, these to be elected in the respective areas. There is no legal power to carry out such elections, and it,seems likely that the full completion of the amalgamation scheme may have to await amending legislation on the linos

1...--.

adopted when the Picton Hospital Board was amalgamated with Marlborough in 1929. A special provision was then made in legislation, for the election of committee of management in the old Picton area. Another method of providing committees in Northland area would be to take advantage of a clause in the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act which empowers hospital boards to appoint committees of management for various institutions or purposes, the members of which need not be elected members of the centra] body. The complete plan for the Northland amalgamation could be carried out in this way, but legislation would be needed to' implement the commissions’s proposal that the committees of management shall be appointed by the electors of the areas concerned.