Kaikohe Hospital Is Priority No.

Northern Advocate, 5 June 1948, Page 6

Kaikohe Hospital Is Priority No.

HEALTH MINISTER SAYS

KAWAKAWA, Sat. (Sp.).—“The Kaikohe Maternity Hospital is Priority No. 1 on this board’s building programme so far as I am concerned.” s

This clear statement was made by the Minister of Health (Miss M. B. Howard)' when she met members and executive officers of the Bay of Islands Hospital Board in the sittingroom of the nurses’ home at Kawakawa.

“The Prime Minister is most interested in the project and insists on its being the first priority job in the North,” she added.

“We are going to see that something is done quickly and we want you to get on with it. The many causes for delay in the board’s erection of this new hospital and of the new men’s ward, theatre, administration block and store-rooms were discussed at length. The Minister requested that steps for acquisition of the site be completed this month and that she be advised of the position immediately. Miss Howard was shown sketch plans of the hospital drawn by the board’s architect (Mr R. B. Finch) and recently submitted to the Health Department for approval. She agreed with the medical superintendent (Dr G. J. Frengley> and Matron A. Sutcliffe that one-bed rooms "were not suitable for Maori patients. Two-bed rooms were far preferable, although as the director of the hospitals division (Dr L. C. McNickle), who was present, told the members, no maternity hospital would be able to be built without a certain number of onebed rooms. COST PROHIBITIVE No estimate had been taken out for the plans presented to the Minister, said the architect, but a tentative figure had been worked out for the previous plans. This totalled £95,000, or £BOOO per bed. “No, that’s out —far too much,’’ said Miss Howard. “We’ll have to think up something else.” “We-should be very pleased to have you help us,” said the . chairman of the board (Mr G. H. McKenzie). “We are just as anxious as you to have a maternity hospital built at Kaikohe.” Mr C. F. Jones asked the Minister whether her statement regarding its having priority No. 1 meant that' it would come ahead even of the longdelayed new men’s ward at Kawakawa. Miss Howard was unequivocal that, so far as she was concerned, this was the case. FULL HISTORY WANTED Mr McKenzie asked departmental permission to build the men’s ward, at an estimated cost of £41,000, a roomed connected link to cost £23,000 and furnishings totaling another £BOOO. Miss Howard asked many questions regarding demolition of the old men’s ward and requested a full summary of its history, with particular regard to disposal of the timber, price paid, etc She wanted plans and sketches, statements made by the previous Minister (Mr A. H. Nordmeyer) and many other matters. These were to be dispatched to her by the board’s managing secretary (Mr P. S. Stanley) at the earliest possible moment. The Minister promised to go into the whole matter thoroughly, also into the Kaikohe project. She would press the Education' Department, she said, with regard to establishment of a girls’ hos-

tel in Kaikohe where nursing training could be accorded Maori girls, thus giving them a future of use to both themselves and the country. DUFFUS BEQUESTS

The chairman mentioned also that the board held two bequests, one of £ISOO and the other of £13,000, from the late Mr and Mrs DufTus, of Russell. The former was for the explicit purpose of building a convalescent home or old people’s home in Russell. The other was for general hospital purposes within the Bay of Islands.

He asked that, in the event of amalgamation in Northland, these bequests be used together for the building of an old people’s home in Russell.

Miss Howard said that the Government did not want to pounce on such money. Old people’s homes were a favoured project with her, and she would support the idea fully.

Mr H. T. Atkinson, a member of the board and chairman of the Bay of Islands County Council, mentioned that the bequest had been left with the council years ago on condition that it paid an annuity to one of the old people.

i The council had paid out a total of ■ £2OOO. On the formation of a hospital I board, the Duffus Bequests were hand- ; ed over. ! He asked whether the council could ' now be reimbursed its £2OOO.

Miss Howard was emphatic that it could not. “The council took on a ‘spec,’ ” she smiled. T.B. SANATORIUM

Mr Atkinson asked also that, when a tuberculosis sanatorium should’ be built in the North, due consideration should be given to its establishment in the district of the four northern counties, which were the areas with the main proportion of T.B. patients in Northland. Dr McNickle said a sanatorium had not yet been considered. The department had never heard of the project. In any event, it would be a matter for the amalgamated Northland board. A direct question on the subject of amalgamation yvas asked by Mr P. M. Williams, Kaikohe borough representative on the board. The Minister was definite that she had nothing whatever to say on the subject. .

To Mrs M. E. Johnston’s suggestion that, to obviate the interminable delays in Wellington in the approval of plans, the department should appoint more architects, Miss Howard said it would gladly, do so if they could be found.

“However, they are earning too much in fees from the boards to be willing to come on a fixed salary with the department,” she said. The department could do with six more architects. Dr McNickle commented that there was only one architect to do the work for the whole of New Zealand. WOMEN’S DEPUTATIONS

The matter of hospital buildings was to the forefront in representations made to the Minister by a group of Kawakawa and Moerewa women immediately after the meeting with the board. Representatives of the local WDFF, Plunket Society. Women's Institute and other organisations spoke briefly, after having been introduced by Mrs M. E. Johnston.

Concern at delays in the Eay hospital building programme was expressed, together with a desire to see an old people’s home established. Overcrowding of the maternity annexe at Kawakawa was stressed.

The price and scarcity of diapers

was another matter fully discussed. Representations were made to have board arranged in the district for district and dental nurses, the position in regard to which was described as desperate.

The Minister gave a sympathetic hearing to the deputations. She left immediately afterwards by car for Paihia and Russell, Where she was to meet several more deputations of local people in the evening and this morning. It was possible that there might even be some in prospect for Sunday, she said. She will leave on Monday by car for Auckland, omitting her intended step at the Whangarei Hospital. From Auckland she will go by train directly to Wellington.