NEW HOSPITAL OPENED.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19891, 9 March 1928, Page 12

NEW HOSPITAL OPENED.

MEMORJAL AT KAITAIA.*

MINISTER PERFORMS CEREMONY

GOVERNMENT POLICY OUTLINED

{BY TELEGRAM. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] KAITAIA. Thursday. The 'new Kaitaia Memorial Hospital, *vhich is chiefly for maternity cases, was officially opened by the Minister of Health, Hon. J. A. Young, this aftifrnoon. A large number of people from Kaitaia and surrounding adtetriota - attended. t

Mr. T. H. Houston,; chairman of thn Mangonui Hospital Board, detailed the sitsps taken in financing th« hospital. He said £6625 had been raised and the amount spent in building and furnishing had been £5778, leaving a balance still available. Speeches were also made by representatives of the local bodies andctlie people of the, district The Minister said there could be no more fitting memorial to those who fell in the Great War than a hospital attending to the health of the people. Accidents and injury were largely a product of modern civilisation anld it was a responsibility of the community to attond to tjiosft who were sick and in need. Hospitals were in cfvary •• sense community institutions.

Mr. Young expressed pleasure that there had been splendid ctf-operiition in the Kaitaia community. "Hospital finance is fairly easy in this country," he said. ■''Sometimes I think it is too easy. Hospital boards mak<i levies on local bodies and it may bo thought that all payments other than patients' fees are made entirely by the local authorities, but the Government pays a Before -any considerable expendituia is made, the boards haye t.) obtain the permission of the Minister, ;»o that the expenditure of the general taxpayer rests on thfe Minister and the Department of Health." Evolution was taking place so that different authorities, in conjunction with the Government, were aiming toward the ous that money should be spent in the prevention of disease, rather than in caring for the effects of disease. Referring to the question of centralised hospitals, the Minister said it was the policy of the Government, to carry out major surgery at . a base hospital, having maternity hospitals where needed. Major surgery 'at: small ; hospitals was not encouraged. 'The maternity hospital should be made as popular as possible. It should be an alternative to working man, without being cheap and nasty. Replying to a speaker who expressed a hope that the ne-.v institution would be a financial success, Mr. Young said there was never a hope in the world of making maternity ■ homes financial successes. ° New Zealand, had yet much to learn in connection with maternity work. It Mas curious that in country districts deaths from puerperal causes were greater than in the urban areas. The figures in the aggregate were improving. Denmark led the world as far as the percentage of safety for mothers was concerned, having the low average of deaths of 2.26 per 1000. New Zealand liad an average of 4.83. ' V ,

"I shall not rest happy," added Mr. [Young, "until mothers are given a reasonable chance in having the rate below three deaths per 1000 live births."