BUILDING POLICY

New Zealand Herald, Volume 82, Issue 25346, 30 October 1945, Page 6

BUILDING POLICY

THE HOSPITAL BOARD VIEWS OF THE DEPARTMENT Reference to the proposed obstetrical and gynaecological hospital in Auckland and to the Auckland Hospital Board's future building policy was made in a letter from the Minister of* Health, Mr Nordmever. received by the board last night. The board agreed to hold a special meeting next Saturday night to discuss these matters with the Minister and Dr L. C. McNickle, director of the hospitals'division of the Health Department. i Mr Nordmever stated that while the department was prepared to consider the erection of the obstetrical hospital on one of the board's present sites it doubted whether tho proposal was practicable. The Government would do everything in its power to make materials and labour available for necessary hospital building. No indication .of any possible changes in the methods of financing hospital expenditure could Ixi given until the report of the Parliamentary committee on local government was considered by the Government Future ol Green Lane Tho report of tho board's standing committee on. future building policy was, in the main, in accord with the department's views, with one important exception, continued the Minister. The department had always recommended that Green Lane Hospital should have the necessary services added to it to make it an efficient chronic hospital. Tho Chest Hospital would bo a separate unit. The committee had recommended that Green Lane Hospital be partly for acute and partly for chronic cases and that a site be secured in the northwestern suburbs for a new hospital to house aged and infirm patients, chronic cases and acute medical and surgical 'beds. Mr Nordmeyer asked that the board indicate its reasons for adopting this policy and if it was satisfied that a suitable site for the north-western institution wan obtainable. Attitude to Park Road Site It bad always boon agreed that the eastern wing at Green Lane would eventually be built and that the hospital might then contain about 570 beds, plus 270 in the Chest Hospital and some beds in the shelters. It was considered questionable whether Green Lane should be allowed to extend beyond the limit of about 570 beds, even if it remained a chronic hospital. If it became mainly an acute hospital it should not be, allowed to expand beyond this limit. The chairman of the Finance Committee, Mr J. Grierson, said that the department was against the erection of the obstetrical and gynaecological hospital on the Park Road site. In reply to Mr V. M. Tracey, Mr Grierson said the question of the addition of 120 beds to the Middlemore Hospital would be discussed with the Minister. The War Assets Realisation Board was waiting for the Hospital Board to make an offer regarding Middlemore. The sub-committee was to meet again and an offer would be made.