OUR EMBRYO COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

Northland Age, Volume 24, Issue 50, 9 April 1925, Page 3

OUR EMBRYO COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

4, (Contributed by H. G. R.)

1 Hose of us who have the interests of the whole community at heart, will be pleased to noie that some progress has been made in the direction of hastening the erection at Kaitaia of a small Cottage Hospital. Real progress to date amounts to: — (a) The local raising of a considerable sum of mon y (app roximately £3000) for this object, and here it is bu ! fair to remember particularly tiie wholehearted interest and work pf the Natives, and the unselfish generosity of the Returned Soldiers’ Association. (b) The recent attempt of our local Chamber of Commerce, which, spurred on by the untiring energy of its worthy President, Mr. T. H. Kenny has taken up t! e cause of the people in its efforts to ensure continued progress. May its efforts meet with the

success that they so well deservHere, however, it w mid seem advisable to point out certain anomalies that appear to have arisen. In a nut-shell, the position as we understand it, is this :

Certain moneys have be. n raised for a Cottage Hospital. After long waiting, the PUBLIC is beginning to wonder when the hospital will be built. Having wondered long,enough, the PUBLIC met together and asked the Minister for Health (in the fo. m of a resolution) to sanction the building here of a*"Cottage Hospital for urgent surgical, serious accident and maternity cases.” The Minister replies by saying that he will see fit to recommend the building at K itaia of a "Maternity Cottage Hospital with a bed or two, for urgent surgical or accident cases, which are too ill to be removed to main hospital.’’ In my opinion this is equivalent to the people asking for bread and being offered a stone. Are we justified in assuming that the people HAVE asked for bread and not fora stone? We think that the assumption may be justified as fallows: —The Returned Soldi rs’ Association for example, made their generous donation with the strong recommendation that their portion shoul t be devoted to the building of a well equipped surgical theatre. They, the Returned Soldiers were, it wouid appear, more far-sighted than others, for they saw that, although we could not build at first a large hospital, it was advisable to build such a nucleus as would provide for the extensions which a steadily growing district would ultimately demand. Knowing this, they desired to see a sound foundation laid—a building that could be added to from time to time as required, and withal a building that would be the beginning of a permanent structure, and not one that would have to be re-designed later. So much for the R. S. A. The Natives also must not be ignored. Did they raise their portion of the money for the Maternity Ho pital ? And, ana iy, what do the people as a waoie want? Have they been asked ? As far as I can remember, the only recent indication of the general feeling on this aspect of the m tter was that obtained from the large public meeting held the other week to discuss the ques-ion. There a maternity and accident Cottage Hospital was mentioned, but it would seem that the real feelings of the people were demonstrated when they carried unanimously and without even one sound objection, an amendment to the resolution urging inste -d the erection of a “Cottage Hospital for acute surgical, sene is accident, and maternity cases.”

Thus, it seems teat if the suggested maternity hospital be erected, then the Returned Soldiers, the Natives, and, above all, the REOkLE as a wnoie are a 1 of them being “hoodwinked” and flouted.

•Now it can readily be shown that the large majority of otiage Hospitals built with the approval of the Health Department as feeders to the main hospitals in New Zealand have been small general hospitals. Thematerm.y annex has almost invariably followed later.

Therefore, cone, ding for the present that ours is to remain permanently merely a “fe -der” to the main hospital, would it not be reasonable for us to claim the right t a have, first, provision for real emergencies. < IvV'e cordially invite an expression of opinion from the public on this important matter. Euitor “Age”, j