HOSPITAL PLAN

New Zealand Herald, Volume 80, Issue 24631, 9 July 1943, Page 5

HOSPITAL PLAN

A CITIZEFS VIEWS FULL INQUIRY SUGGESTED A critical analysis of the Auckland jj os pjtal Board's decision to build extensions to the Green Lane Hospital and the implications which he conceives to be present in the proposals are contained in a letter to the Herald from a city business man. In order that ]jj s submissions may be examined and considered purely on their merits and dissociated from personalities the writer jn the meantime prefers to remain anonymous. "The board's decision involving the final establishment of a 750-bed hospital follows the tradition of previous boards of building without a proper plan of present and future hospital needs," ho writes. "Having found the new extension at Green Lane incomplete and insufficient, outside advice has been sought to help overcome the difficulty, it being evident that, as the board had not been quite clear as to what v.he building was to be used for, further additions were necessary in order to make it a useful working unit. Building Disjoined Units "One does not know what order of reference was given to Dr. Gould, but it is obvious from what he recommended that he was confined to the problem at Green Lane. Apparently lie was asked whether the new block should be used for medical or surgical cases or mixed ones. Surely this matter should have been decided before the building was erected. It is another instance of building disjoined units then considering afterward how they can be co-ordinated into a proper scheme. 11 Dr. Gould was asked to report on a comprehensive plan "for the future health services of the hospital district then lie failed in his task. The submitting of such a report would entail collecting information from manv sources and there is no evidence that this has been done. Health services under social security have come to stay. Before agreeing to another base hospital within three miles of the existing one the Jioard should have considered what form health services are likelv to take in the future. With a growing population it would seem that"in the rer.v near future base hospitals would he better placed at, say. Takapuna and Tapatoetoe or Papakura or further south. ■ Value of Health Centres "The development of health centres end poly-clinics in key positions in the metropolitan area with 24-hour service would be more likely to render sufficient service so desired by the community and at the same time relieve the out-patient department of the base hospital. "The type of construction of the future building is itself a matter of extreme importance. Close by Green Lane there is already an example of what can be done in providing an efficient hospital service at muchness cost than the board s proposed extensions. Overseas information is that buildings in the future will be constructed for utility rather than for permanencv; the idea being that they can be readily adapted or altered to suit the developments of the times without great loss of capital. The establishment of special for children, chest and other diseases in ideal and proper localities is also a matter that requires full consideration. , Location of the Laundry "The board also appears committed to building n laundry away from the base hospital. This in itself is a retrograde step. Dr. Gould apparently anticipates objections to some parts of his report. One would have thought that in submitting such a report lie would have canvassed possible objections and been able to give the board a final answer. "Local bodies are complaining about hospital rating and that the burden of taxation is unfairly placed on a section of the community. The time has arrived when from the national point of view there should be a commission of inquiry into hospital and social security administration with a view to making recommendations to the Government on the many issues that have been raised and what should be the future _ policy. Before the Hospital Board is fully committed to these present proposals the contributing local authorities should insist on a full inquiry as to whether the proposals now adopted are the correct answer to the problems facing the board. Vision and planning are necessarv to avoid mistakes." REDUCTION OF COSTS HOSPITAL BOARD'S VIEW SOCIAL SECURITY SUBSIDY* • (0 ; c -> HAMILTON, Thursday Ihe effect of the Government's decision to increase the social security subsidy to hospital boards for the treatment of in-patients from 6s to 9s a day formed the subject of a report submitted to the Waikato Hospital Board to-day by the secretary. Mr. A. C. Burgess.As lar as the Waikato board was concerned. said Mr. Burgess, it did not appear that the increase in the subsidy would reduce the levies on local bodies to the 1939-40 level. as suggested by the Minister of Einance, the Hon. W. rjash. On the new scale of subsidies, the Government would save £19.869, and the contributing local bodies £13,246, a total of £33.115. Mr. BurgesS said the increased payment would not afford any relief to the board in respect of capital expenditure, which had heavily increased during the last seven years due to the provision of additional buildings snd equipment. The board's levy on local bodies would be reduced from --98,269 to £85.023, a difference of £13,246. In 1939-40, the capital and maintenance levy imposed by the board on the contributing local bodies was £62.540. Die Hamilton Borough's contribution ttould be reduced from £13.010 to £11.282, a difference of £1758, while yaikato County's levy would be reduced from £12,909 to £11,1(58, a difference of £1741. . On the motion of Mr. N. H. Boatson. it was resolved to submit the report to the Counties,and Hospital Boards' Association, with a view to making further to the Government with tile object of reducing hospital costs to tlie 1939-40 level. HOSPITAL AT TAUPO POSSIBILITY OF LEASING ( °C-) HAMILTON, Thursday pThe question whether the new Taupo yittage Hospital should be leased or should he conducted by the board was at a meeting of the Waikato "°spital Board to-day. Advice was received that Miss N. E. fWufort, of Hotherliam, North Canteri " r ?> had been appointed matron of the hospital. ~Tlie chairman, Mr. F. Findlay, said J" e building, which had accommodation *° r six patients, would be ready for pupation in about six weeks. He was pisfied it, would not be practicable to ; easo the institution during tlie war r? r i°cl. He thought it advisable that '"e board should conduct the institution n "l some idea could be obtained of the c '«t, and what subsidy the hoard wouid e inquired to pay a lessor. P 'be board decided to approve of Miss ea utort's appointment.