ACCOMMODATION OF CASUALTIES

Timaru Herald, Volume CLI, Issue 22204, 23 February 1942, Page 4

ACCOMMODATION OF CASUALTIES

Emergency Hospitals Minister Discusses The Position (P.A.) AUCKLAND. Feb. 22. Provision of emergency hospital accommodation in the Auckland metropolitan area was further examined on Saturday by the Minister of Education, the Hon. H. G. R. Mason, and the Minister of ■ Health, Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer both of whom came to Auckland ' for this purpose on Friday. Also | present at Saturday’s conference i were the Director of Education. Dr. ■ C. E. Beeby, the Director-General of Health, Dr. M. H. Watt, and representatives of the Auckland Hospital Board. Several important details of the i work being done were later discussed by the Minister of Health. Mr Nordmeyer said the whole question of emergency hospital accommodation in Auckland had been before the authorities for some time and buildings to be taken over had all been earmarked. The visit made by Mi’ Mason and himself, together with departmental heads, was for the purpose of ensuring that the least possible disturbance would be caused to children’s education when school buildings had to be used. Mr Nordmeyer said he was not yet in a position to disclose the number of emergency beds being provided throughout New Zealand. It would run into many thousands. So far as administration was concerned, many beds taken over for emergency purposes, either for camp sick or for civilian and military casualties, would be administered by local hospital boards. The general scheme for civilian casualties was that the Emergency Precautions Service would look after those people who could be cared for at first aid posts but that the more severely injured would be admitted to hospitals, the Hospital Board’s responsibility beginning on the arrival of people at the hospital door. Scheme Still to be Drawn Up Mr Nordmeyer was asked whether details of financing treatment had been prepared. He said the final scheme had still to be drawn up in so far as attention to people at first aid posts was concerned. A special feature of an emergency involving the civilian population might well be that those attending to the injured at first-aid posts would be so busy that there would be no time to keep records. A scheme would be prepared to meet such difficulties. In the case of hospital admissions where the usual records could be kept the Social Security system would operate easily and satisfactorily. The Minister was also asked whether the hospital boards could by themselves take over buildings for emergency purposes. He said he alone had such authority. Asked if New Zealand had adequate medical supplies with which to meet an emergency, the Minister said that a few months ago the position was not as satisfactory as he would have liked. Since then a great improvement had been made and there was now a very good reserve of drugs, dressings and other essentials. These had been dispersed to various points throughout the Dominion.