NO MATERNITY HOSPITAL.

Otago Witness, Issue 3957, 14 January 1930, Page 75

NO MATERNITY HOSPITAL.

POSITION AT QUEENSTOWN. ATTITUDE OF SOUTHLAND BOARD. INVERCARGILL. January 9. In view of the recent closing for an indefinite period of the Queen down Alaternity Hospital, the Borough Council has instituted an agitation for the establishment of a permanent institution. With this object in view, the council has approached the Southland Hospital Board urging tluit steps should be taken towards securing the establishment of a permanent hospital. At the last meeting of the board a resolution of the council came up for consideration, but no decision was. arrived at. At to-day’s meeting the question was further discussed. The resolution referred to was as follows: —“ That a letter be sent to the Southland Hospital Board pointing out the urgent need of the establishment of a maternity hospital <n Queenstown as a centre.” The covering letter stated that the reason for this resolution was explained by the fact that the only registered home in Queenstown was to be closed on December 9 last through family reasons, leaving no provision for future cases, a position not approved of by the Health Department. The council felt strongly the advisability of having the home in Queenstown, as being the centre, and would in all probability be willing to assist in the matter of providing a suitable site should the board decide to build a home.

In replying to the Borough Council’s letter, the secretary of the board wrote stating that it appeared to members of the board that there should be sufficie-V. business offering for private enterprise to take up the work connected with a maternity hospital in Queenstown. The opinion had also been expressed that if such an institution had to be established by the board it should be- run in conjunction with the district hospital and erected on the grounds at Frankton Otherwise, the overhead expenses of staffing and running a separate institution would be unduly heavy.

Air J. Cockburn said that since the closing of the maternity hospital there had been no provision for such cases. The Health Department insisted that certificated nurses should conduct hospitals of this nature. When visiting Queenstown recently the Minister of Health had been emphatic that a maternity hospital was necessary, and had indicated that he would be prepared to subsidise such an institution very substantially. The chairman (Mr John Matheson! said he did not think the board could do anything towards subsidising a hospital at Queenstown. It was probable that something could be done for such cases at the Frankton Hospital if necessary. The people of Queenstown would need to do something on their own behalf, as other districts had done. Mr G. Wraytt said that if Mr Cockburn brought forward a concrete proposal tiie board would consider it. The discussion then dropped.