Minister of Health’s Visit

Northland Age, Volume XVII, Issue 70, 4 June 1948, Page 5

Minister of Health’s Visit

hospital extensions DISCUSSED When the Minister of Health (Miss Mabel Howard) met members of the Mangonui Hospital Board on Wednesday and inspected the Kaitaia Hospital buildings, she expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the existing facilities. N As a result of urgent rep rese, '^ a " tions to both the Minister and Dr. L. C. McNickle, Director of the Hospitals Division of the Department, plans fo r the proposed extensions to the Nurses’ Home are to be submitted to the Department’s architect at an early date. Miss Howard agreed with the Board that this was the most urgent of the building projects as the unused T.B. block, for which staff accommodation has been lackingr, could then be opened to receive patients now confined in the general wards. The extensions include the provision of 16 bedrooms with accompanying facilities. Second major project which will come up for consideration by the Department will be a completely new, modem Maternity Annexe. Before plans for this can be submitted, however, a contour plan of the whole of the establishment must be drawn up so that the Board can, in conjunction with the Department’s officers, select a site for the new building which will not impede progress with further building developments. It is unlikely that any action will be taken by the Minister at this juncture to provide accommodation for the Old People of the district. When questioned as to her Department’s policy in this regard, Miss Howard said that as work would be proceeding on the new hospital at Dargaville, consideration would be given to establishing an Old People’s home to serve several surrounding districts at the present Te Kopuru Hospital. She did not foresee any difficulty in persuading the Old People to vacate their home districts to take advantage of the comfortable accommodation that would be offered them.

Following up their former representations for the appointment of an assistant medical officer to Kaitaia, Board members questioned the Minister regarding the provision of a residence for the appointee. Although Hospital authorities are by no means certain that their request for assistance has been favourably received, they were assured that the matter would receive further consideration. Opinions passed by a member of the official party when discussion of further building projects took place were that provision would have to be made for two 60-bed wards. It is understood, however, that plans for the construction of these could not be made in the near future.