PROVISIONS FOR EMERGENCIES

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22517, 27 September 1938, Page 10

PROVISIONS FOR EMERGENCIES

Medical Supplies For Hospitals DECISION OF AUCKLAND BOARD (press association telegram.) AUCKLAND, September 26. To provide for any contingency in the event of a national or local emergency, the finance committee of the Auckland Hospital Board is to arrange for extra stocks of medical and other supplies for institutions under its control. A comprehensive report was prepared by the board's officers, in which it was recommended that provision should be made immediately for six months' stock to be on hand, and to this the committee added a suggestion that a further six months' needs should be held in stock by merchants.

The report, which was prepared by the Medical Superintendent (Dr. Craven), the treasurer (Mr R. F. Galbraith), and the purchasing officer (Mr J. Gray), was presented to the board tonight. It was pointed out that the hospital carried stores equal to two months' normal demand, and these, with the ordinary' supplies still available, would be sufficient to meet any local and limited emergency, such as a severe train smash. To cope with any severe local emergency, such as an earthquake, the hospital should be equipped with the normal six months' supply in hand.,

"A national emergency presents problems of a vastly different type," the report continued. "It is safe to assume that seaways would be considerably embarrassed and that supplies from England would probably not be available because of her own immediate requirements. To cope with.such a state of affairs it would be necessary for the hospital to have at least a full year's -normal consumption of certain essential items only on hand, in addition to ordinary daily requirements."

In the opinion of the committee making provision for these was a national question, and it would seem that the boards should be divided into groups and their requirements ascertained, pooled, and purchased by the Government. Storage also presented difficulties. Either the equipment required should be stored in earth-quake-proof buildings by agents or the board should perform this task. To v do it satisfactorily would mean the erection of special buildings or the construction of bomb-proof dugouts, not necessarily at the hospital. The report added that the food supply was also considered, and it was realised that to make the hospital completely self-supporting it would be necessary to investigate the storing of an adequate supply of tinned and other goods. However, it was considered to be too big a problem on which to express any opinion beyond drawing attention to the possibility of such an event occurring. Several members of the board emphasised the necessity for prompt action, and reference was made to the unsettled state of Eurorje. It was a unanimous decision to give the finance committee power to purchase adequate stocks for an emergency.