Size, Scope And Construction Of New Sanatorium At Levin

Chronicle (Levin), 2 June 1949, Page 4

Size, Scope And Construction Of New Sanatorium At Levin

* * * . ]STow that it is ready to *go ahea4 plan the building of the new sdnatorium in Levin, tne \vestern Hospital Districts' Joint ^Sanatorium Committee is. an^ipu§ tq tibtain the guthority of the Gqvernment to bud4 § multiple-stqrey structure along the most modern lines,' in perman§ut and firerresisting materials. On the basis of opinions giy§n in a rqpqpt by an expert sub-committee, the^ committee: wili seek, tii§ ^fictiqn qf its constituent hpspital boards to cpnstruet a sanatorium of 140 beds, plus provision for a staff: of 8Q nurses in the initial stages. Members bf the committpe at g meeting in Palmerston North yesterday were unanimously against building single-storey wooden structures which it was estimated would oecupy about 2§ of the 86 acres available on the- ehosen site in Liverpool Street, Levin, in addition to requiring approximately 600 feet of covered corridors to jpin all of the independent buildings. The fact that the new hqspital at Cashmere (Christchurch)! with an ihitigl contract priee of £750,000, was being oonstruoted in permanent materials, and the new maternity bloek at Hawera liltewise, was mentioned by members in support of,the propqsal that the sqnatorium should be of massive construction.

Qn the motion of Messrs P. E. Stainton (New P-lyrpoutli) and H. Thruah ''Hawera), a sub-committee comPTisiliP' the ehairman, Mr. J. A. Nasji (Pajrnpr ston North), Messrs Tqpgqpd and W- dGaudin (Wellington), and tte nianM" ing-sepretary, Mr. A. J. Phillipps, was appoipted tq interyiew Qie appropriatc 'Uithorities wiQi a view to ohtaining; enalitv in respeet of the Government's decision qp bpilding methods, If the Govemment refpses ti c.qpsant tP f1n struetion of a multiple-storev building in permanent materials, alternafive olans for bujlding in wpod wiU br plaeed before the, next uieeting the "ommittee. althqugb TTiembers were adqraant that the administrative bloch at least shp.ujd be mpltiple-storied in pgrmanent materials, Mr. Toogood mentioned that the new hospital in Milbourne bad been con strueted along these lines and eliminated tbo Wd roi 1 eepwfe kiteben in eaeh ward, resulting not only in faeilitating the work of the institnfion but also redueing the staff bv two in each. ward. With staff a problem in everr hospital institution in New Zealand the committee was wise tP l°ok to every means of keeping staff requireaients to ' a minimum. Policy Adopted. The committee yesterday provisionally adqpted as its policy for the new sanatorium, a report prepared by a sub-committee of experts appointed at a meeting of representatives pf all the constituent hospitgl boards held in Palmerston North on April 6. Members of the Sanatorium Committee were epthusiastic nb°nt the eqntents of the experts' report and unanimously adopted it, stating tligt it would • be copie the committee 's policy in respeet of the new sanatorium'. The report is to be circulated to all constituent boards with a request that the boards give it urgent eonsideration with a view to adopting it. A major aspect of the report is its krepommendations in regard to the pro vision of additipnal tubesrpqlosis accommodation at existing hospitals. It is upon the bftsis qf the prqvisipn of this extra hospital accommodation — a further 71. beds — that the sub-commit-. tee recommended the provision' of- 210 sanatoria beds. It was understqod tbai the Otaki Sanatorium with 70 beds would b,e kept in operation, thus legving a total of 140 beds to be provided in the new sanatorium at Levin. The bed requirements proposed were regarded by the sub-cominittee as reasonable but not excessive. Indeed, it might well be fpupd that the estimated requirements as fhey app§§re4 ip the report represented the bare minimum. "It is, of course, well known to the members of the Sapatprium Conrmjtfee, though not necessarily so clearly established in fhe piinds of the general pubLie, that the function of a sanatorium is to pypyide treafment, pot for every tqbercuiosis patjent, but for tliose Tb. patients considered suitable for sanatqrium treatment, " stated the report in prefacing the formufS. adopted in estimating the elasses and ' numbers pt patients reqqiring freatment on a five tq ten-year basis. "For these a modern sanatoriqm should provide all proper facilities, including provision for collapsp therapy and section of adhesions. On the other hand, it is not the function of a sapaforium to acpept cases fqi diagnosis, or to undertake major chest surgery, or to retain chronic cases for an indeflnite time." Types of Patients. After carefui eonsideratjon the subcommittee had on general lines considered; the following types of patients suitable for sanatorium treatment: — Patients classifled as having minimal oy moderate pulmonary disease and requiring no bed rest; improving pqlmonayy cases which will beneflt by sanatorium treatment; patients who have had major chest operations, but who bping semi-qmbulant require furtber conyalescence; cases with tubereulosus

pleural effusion, being ambulant or aemi-ambulantj gPQd chronic. (pulmonary,) ease3; certain non-pulmonary cases, example renal, glandular, bone' and joint, . The tlPhtblPht of non-pulmonarv cases, many of which came within the general categqry of snx'gical tuberculosis was primarily the responsibility of general hospitals. With regard to pulmonary cases, it was clear also that major chest surgery when required was the resppnsibility of general liospitals gnd not oi' sanatoria. Pulmonary groups rpgarded as coming within the scope ot hospitals were: — Cases requiring further investigation to enable diagnosis to be confirmed or a proper assessment of the case to be made; cases requiring eollapse therapy (and in some instances section of adhesions) prior to admission to sanatorium; cases requiring prolonged bed rest or where there was a possibility of chest surgery being required; cases where some additional condition existed which might more appropriately be managed in a general hospital; deteriorating cases or advaneed chronic cases in which there were no prospeets of early improvement with the facilities of a sanatorium; recalcitrqnt patients not to be admitted unless special facilities exist for their management; patients who refuse to be admitted to a sanatorium. In arriving at the number of 210 sapatoria beds required for the combmed disti'ict, the sub-committee acted on information suppiied by tuberculosis ofificers, the assessment being made up" as follows: Wellington 80, Palmerston xNorth 30, Taranaki H0, "Wanganui 30. Taumarunui 18, Hawera 20, (Stratford 2, Patea 10. Discqssing the important aspeet of the number of hospital beds required, the sub-committee 's report stated that without gomg into details the opinion was that hospital beds provided for tuberculous patients should take the form of special accommodation for tlie purpose, and should not eonsist merely of a certain number of beds in general wards or on ward verandahs, or the use of an infectious diseases ward, as was stated to be the position in one area when the April conference was held. ' - Viewed iu this light the existing accoininpdation appeurs to faii far short of requirements," the report continueu. ' ' Where special accommodation exists it is either satistactory but quite inadequat.e in quantity, or it is overcrowded and in many respects unsatisi'actory. in several of the hospital districts there is, in fact, no special accommodation at all. The nurnuer of hospital beds occupied at present by imuercuious patients in the wlioie area has been assessed at approximately 370, but many of these can be regarded as constituting only hospital accommodation of a kind. " United Front IJrged. Discussing tne report, members of the Sanatorium Committee were outspokcu on the need for a united front uy the hospital boards. Nearly all, it was stated, had had diliieulty in getting building projects aiiproved. Additional or new tuberculosis accommodation had been recommended and upon the provision of this extra accommodation depended the committee 's policy m deciding upon a sanatorium of 14U beds. If tlie hospital boards united for the commou good, pi'Qposals for obtaining the necessary additional accommodation might more easily be accomplished. lt was decided that members should go baek to their boards as pioneers and spearheads of the endeuvour to aoliieve unanimity and singieness of purpose. The committee .took a decision to maintain the operations of the Otaki Sanatorium when the new institution is funetioning, but decided against continuing activities at Gonville Sanatorium, Wanganui, largely on tlie grounds of expense. It is the intention of the committee to make Otaki tlie children 's sanatorium when the maia institution comes into oyieration.