USE OF HUNTLY HOSPITAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 642, 19 April 1929, Page 11

USE OF HUNTLY HOSPITAL

MEDICAL CLUB PROPOSED CONFERENCE IN HAMILTON (Special to THE SUN) v HAMILTON, To-day. To discover ways and means of popularising the Huntly Hospital, the Minister of Health, the Tlon. A. J. Stallworthy, conferred with the Waikato Hospital Board and representatives of the Huntly Town Board, miners’ unions, and friendly societies at Hamilton on Thursday. The chairman of the Hospital Board, Mr. Campbell Johnstone, said that the support given to the hospital the board had erected at Huntly had been disappointing. The Huntly deputation iiau made proposals to the board which he tnoughc were not unreasonable, and tiiougn there had been misunderstanding, the speaker thought these could ue overcome. If me Government could subsidise the funds, it was proposed to raise in Huntly, it would help a great deal. Mr. W. E. C. Georg,e chairman of the Huntly Town jßoaru, said his board had expressed concern at me threat to close the Huntly Hospital, and had called meetings with a view to ensuring support ior the hospital. The fact txiat patients were required to pay doctors’ lees in addition to hospital fees, and was one of the reasons why the hospital was not popular. Heavy expenses were incurred in transporting patients from Huntly to the base hospital at Hamilton, and these costs couid De obviated if further facilities were provided at the Huntly Hospital.

Dr. R. C. Mac Diarmid, of Huntly, said the charges for maternity cases were excessive. There was no equipment at the hospital for major or serious cases, and an X-ray apparatus was not provided. It was obvious that £2,000 would not be sufficient to pay the salaries of two doctors, medicines, dressings, and dispensing, and also for hospital treatment.

Mr. Stallworthy said the Huntly people had put forward a request for a co-ordinated arrangement, which he hoped would result in the further use of the hospital. Tlie scheme put forward by the Huntly people was operating in other centres with absolute success. The Hospitals Act made provision for the appointment of local committees to work in co-operation with hospital boards. New Zealand had a good reputation with regard to infant mortality, but there was reason for disquietude over the high maternal mortality rate. It was the bounden duty of the Government to pursue every possible avenue to lower the present rate.