HOSPITAL PROBLEM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23866, 21 July 1939, Page 6

HOSPITAL PROBLEM

WAIPIATA SANATORIUM MORE ACCOMMODATION NEEDED SOUTHLAND’S WAITING LIST (Special to Daily Times) INVERCARGILL, July 20. . The need for more accommodation at the Waiapiata Sanatorium was emphasised at a meeting of the Southland Hospital Board to-day, and it was decided to ask the board’s representatives on the Waipiata Sanataorium Committee to draw the attention of the committee to the position. Approval was given to a recommendation by the secretary (Mr T. Pryde) that until March 31, 1940, the seven boards supplying the Waipiata Sanatorium should continue to contribute for the maintenance of patients at the rate fixed in the estimates of 7s a day, plus their proportion of the maintenance levy of £BOO, and recoup themselves by the collection of 6s daily per patient from the Social Security Department. Scheme for Frankton That shelters for patients should be erected at Frankton, near Queenstown, was urged by Mr W. M. Norman, who moved that the architect be asked to go into the matter. He said that the board should go in for more capital expenditure to deal with the waiting list, and the best way to do that was to provide shelters at Frankton, which locality had proved itself in every way. Waipiata was a company business, and the board wanted its own institution, which it could provide with portion of the money from the Dyer legacy. The chairman (Mr T. Golden): We should attend first to Waipiata, which will mean about £4OOO annually to this board on account of the Social Security payment of 6s per bed. We have a big waiting list, and I am sure that the Waipiata Committee will favour any recommendation by us that the shelters there should be extended. There are 63 patients from Southland at Waipiata, four at Clyde Hosnital. and 26 on the waiting list. There are 136 beds at Waipiata, and 43 of those are for use by Southlanders. Reasons for Congestion The secretary said that not for many years had the beds occupied by Southlanders been fewer than 43. It must be remembered that very few were discharged in the winter and that the congestion might be ear in the spring. Some Southland patients, who had been at WaipiaL for four years, had been there too long and should be removed elsewhere, as thej were not improving. In the past Southland patients had at times been given beds not used by other districts, and the Southland waiting list had risen mainly because ot.ier boards were finding more patients for the spare beds allotted to them. Mi A. T. Newman said that Southland had had a waiting list for many years and the province had experienced what might be termed an incidence of tuberculosis whicl might pass. He suggested that the medical officer of health for Ctago and Southland should be asked to confer with the board on the question of accommodation for patients at Frankton, Kew and Waipiata.