Dramatic Flight With Girl Paralysis Patient

Chronicle (Levin), 27 March 1948, Page 5

Dramatic Flight With Girl Paralysis Patient

WHANGAREI, Alarch 25. ° After four weeks in an iron lung a! the Kaitaia Hospital, an infantile paralysis patient, a girl aged eight years, was flown to Auckland this morniijg i'or physio-therapy treatment. During the last two days tlie patient, fpr whos.e lifje a dramatic flght was inade a fortnight ago when the lung had to b.e operated manually after a power failure, has spent periods ' oi three -and a Jialf hours out of 'the lung. Such a period was considered stt,£ciejit to allow of lier being taken to Auckland- and this morning the Auckland Aero Club anibulauce flew to Kaitaia to.take her to the Auckland IlQspitai. Thp patient, who was attended by' the medical superinteiiclent of .the Kqi taia Hospital, Dr. Webber/ and two , nurses, was taken froni the hospital to " the Kaitaia aerodrome ' in a Public Works Department truclc in good spirijts. The child was piaced iu t|ie a,ero ambujanee, where she was taken in charge by a medical officer from the Auckland Hospital. The plane left Kaitaia at 10.36 a.ip. and vyas ex-pectpd to arrive at Alangpre 1 hopr 20 niinutes later. From there she was to be taken by anibulauce t.o tlie Auckland; Hospital. The total travelling time from hospital' to hospital N was estimated af less than two and a lial-f hours, allowing . an ample saf ety nuir.gin. This is befieved to be tlie first rpspiratory paralysis case to liave sq'r.viy'pd such extendpd treatment during tlie present epidemic.