Efforts To Provide For Tuberculosis Sufferers Frustrated

Chronicle (Levin), 5 February 1948, Page 4

Efforts To Provide For Tuberculosis Sufferers Frustrated

The "WeStfern HosiD'ital Disti'icts Joiht- Sahatoeium' Gommittee is beset with difficulties and trpubles. . " Becaitse o/ a'-serious staif sjioftage it.has been compellecl to rfe'fuse the .admittance of.further bed patients to the iarg'Ci^ bf i ife two institut'ions, the Otaki Sanatorium and^ incleed, to carr-y oif -- caring for the patife'nts at present admitted it" must seek the aS'sistanee of the (tovferhhifeilt ih b'brtbwiiig staff ffbm! ofher iiistitiitions. '"■/. • • . , ^ . • ' ; - Aiter liine months of Avearisome' delays the committee still . has tb bMain a decisiou from the^Oovernment on the pfobosais fbr ' eillargdng the Otaki Sanatorium. . In the meant ime costs have xiseh considerably and through shortage- of acqom m od at i on th e X-ray plant is illegally 'instaHed and very dangerotismf oper/tion. . Following a report from thfe ihedical sitpfefirttendent,' Dr. C-. F. "Wilson, the committee has ordered that the piant be closed down fbrthwith, with eohseiju'eiit vefy great ihcoh^enience. in the funning of the .institutibn. After three year§ bf still inore' WfeariSbme delays, the eomlhittee is ltd Mfther advaneed with its plaiis fbr thfe febtisttuction . bf a new 2()0-becl srfnatorium tb serve the needs of the. whole Western distriets whieh stretcll froni 'Wellingtbn in the south to New Plymouth iii the horth. Despite repeated t e'ftPfejSfentations" it Tias been unablfe tb ob'tain frbm thfe Obveimment 4 tlfeeision regarding thfe avaibability bf ah area bf Maori--oWhed Ihiid at - Lfevin, . dhosen- as a site for the buildirtg. ' . 1 ^lifese wferfe tlife aceumulated prbblems bf the committee wliifeh came for ward for_ disctxssion at'the ftrst" meeting o'Mh'fe new year held in Palmerston North yestefday. Some members were . critieal of Government delays ahd inaetion, bnt bfte member, the Taranaki representative, suggested that perhaps the committee might he responsible for some of the troiible.

# Outspolcen eriticism of tlie mknnei' m whieh the Sanatorium Committee had clfeaked its -meetings arid disctissio'ns in sefereey, was exprfessfed bi7 the ' represeiitative of tlie Taranaki , Hospital Bdard, Air." R. J. Brokensltife. It was the opinion of the Taranaki Herspital Board that the committee had failed to make.full and effective use of the power of tlie press. rihe- felt that mfeetings. should be open to tlie press , wlio should Ue given every fhc'ility to report discussions as fully as tliey saw fit. ■ Despair aiid. Defeatisin. "It is our duty to leave no . stone uriturned to adiieve oiir ohject," coneluded Air. Brokensltire. ' * My boara strongly cfepfecates any snggestioh of despair or defeatisin. If' such an attitifde is to dominate our activiiies the cOmmittee will have eeased to serve tlie object for whieh it was- set up. The Taranaki Board is very insistent upon cliese poiiiis." [ • Despite the ccHiiments by Air. JBrokenshiie, tlie meeting late'r went into committee to diseiiss a report by the man-agiog-sccretary, Air. A. J. iiiillipps, of a telephone eonversatioii he liad had . with ' the DirectOr-Geiieral of Health, Dr. llitchie, yegarding tlie availability or otiienvisfe of the selec.ted site in Lfevin for the piojected new. sanatorium for western distriets. Aloving that the meeting go into committee for tliis' purpose, Mr. II. P. Toogood, of Wfellington, said the disclosure of this informatioU might jeopardi.se the availability of coiitldentiiil inforination to* Air. Phillipps in the future. At no' I stiige was any intimation given that t Dt. Ritchie's, telephone adviee* was'coiilidential to the comiiiittee. Aftfei- a discussion ih cuiumittee, the meeting resumed open proceedings and co'nlirnied a resolution a'ppoijiting tlie eliairmaii, Air. J. A, Xash, Air. Toogood, Air. P. E. iStaintou (-New Blymouth) and Air. Phillipps as a sub-committfee to iilvestigate and report upon alternative sites at Levin.