THE HILLCREST DISPUTE

Putaruru Press, Volume XXI, Issue 1240, 24 July 1947, Page 2

THE HILLCREST DISPUTE

COUNCILLOR’S REPORT Now For Incipients Only Reporting to the Matamata County Council, Mr. 'G. H. Verity, representative on the Waikato Hospital Board, had the following illuminating comment to make on the selection of the H illerest site, at Hamilton, for tuberculosis cases. Mr. Verity reported:— “All of the medical men serving on- that committee were public servants' in the employ of two hospital ■boards and the Health Department. It seemed strange that there were no representations of the medical practitioners who play a major part in the medical system of the community and are primarily responsible for directing patients into our various hospitals. “When the principal spokesman for tho Waikato Hospital Board, Mr. A. E. Bryant, asked the committee to hear the representations of various Waikato local bodies' who were opposed to the Hillcrest site, he was strngly opposed by the two Auckland representatives, Mr. Moody and Mr. Grierson, who both contended very emphatically that the committee should not hear such representations from the public, as the selection of a site had nothing to do with the public. On first thoughts this appeared to be a strong attitude for two representatives of the public to take, but after becoming possessed of certain other facts as yet never mentioned in the press or' to the public, the obvious conclusion is that they are out to make a convenience of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty public for the advantage of their own Auckland public. The first of these facts is ‘that at no time did Auckland consider coming into the scheme if a site further south than

Hillcrest was chosen. The second is that Auckland are only taking 60 beds as they are making other arrangements for the major portion of their cases. The 60 beds represent their overflow for the present. The third reason is that it has now been decided to provide beds for incipients T.B. cases only at Hillcrest, . “With greater Auckland’s increasing population adding another 70 potential patients per annum, and their medical representatives sponsoring the opinion that there is no particular advantage in situation other than convenience of access for supply and amenities for the staff and to be near patients’ homes and relatives, who can expect that this partnership with Auckland will endure beyond the temporary convenience of coping with their present overflow ? “When the break comes, as come it must, the Waikato and Bay of Plenty will become the joint occupiers of this institution which will be situated far from the central and, as described By members of the select committee, truly magnificent site on the terraces west of Rotorua and sheltered by tho rising hills on the south and west. “One of the notable features of the meeting of this provisional committee was the concern displayed by some members to keep tho beds allocated to their area down to something less than minimum. Thay seem to have little knowledge of the menace of this insidious disease to our young people. They should know that statistics prove that for every person who dies of tuberculosis, there are five more left with some degree of infection, and that this disease destroys 1 or denies a full life to more young people just when they have reached a useful age than any other disease known to mankind. Also, that it is any man’s disease and not pecu-

liar to the weak only, as commonly believed. If these facts were known they would surely want the maximum in beds rather than minimum.

“In conclusion, I give it as my opinion that the decision to use Hillcrest for incipient cases only is certainly gratifying news and the correct way to make the best use of a bad site; but can this decision stand the teist of time, and what is to happen to the active infectious

cases for whom we need an increased segregation capacity in hospital beds also V* The council decided that it was useless to make further representations at the moment.