MANAWATU HOSPITAL BOARD

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 192, 9 May 1919, Page 2

MANAWATU HOSPITAL BOARD

STATUS OF' THE OTAKI INSTITUTION

EPIDEMIC EXPENDITURE

'By Telegraph—Special Correspondent.) Palmerston North, May 8. There was a discursive discussion at to-day's meeting of the Hospital Hoard at Piilinerston on the status of tho Otaki Hospital, in tho course of which it was made evident that tho policy of the hoard is against the establishment of cottage hospitals. The mutter was broached when ji communication was received from thy Olaki Board relative to tho treatment of Palmerston patients in tho Otnki Hospital, and desiring to know if it wns desired that a particular clnss of patient should be advised to enter the Palmerston Hospital instead of tlio Otaki institution. ■ 1.1; would, it was pointed out, be difficult lo persuade ordinary patients from the immediate neighbourhood who required treatment to journey to Palmerston instead of going to the rearer institution at Otaki.

Mr. I'enn contended that it was clearly understood by the Otaki people that their hospital would be retained for all purposes, but that doctors could send patients to Palmerston North when they deemed this necessarv. ' ■

Sir James Wil.'on emphasised that the policy of the b?ard was against tlie es('Abliehment of smaller (cottage) hospitals, as the General Hospital at I'almefston ivas equipped with proper accommodation and appliances for more efficient and efficacious treatment. 'J'ha board • objected on principle to cottage hospital*. If they favoured utilisatioic of the Otnki institution as a cottage hospital, there vas no reason ivliy they should not have one'at. Feilding, nnd that would never do. Ho was entirely against oncourajfing such a step As a'matter of fact the understanding so far as C'e Hospital Hoard was concerned'- was Hint should tha Government hand over control of the Olaki Hospital tq, the hoard it was in tlip power of the Ijonrd .'to .close, it. • 't'ho chairman's views were endorsed by oilier members, and the discussion was closed by Sir James Wilson remarking that he had gathered in the course of a conversation with Dr. Vnlintine Hint the Government would probably tnk* over the hospital permanently, and use it in connection with the sanatorium. Attention was drawn by Dr. E. Whitakoi: to the , fact that , in' Canterbury the authorities had already started 'inoculating persons with influenza, serum. Personally he did not think that they should undertake this work at Paimerston worth until they had received advice from, (he Health Department. If the board did commence the work of injecting persons with this serum it would mean retaining a medical man for the purpose, and making special arrangements which could not be made offhand. •He therefore suggested, and the board agreed, that the Minister be communicated with on the. subject. • The matter, of epidemic pensions- was refered to by the cliairniaii, Sir James U ilson. The board was, he stated, paying out over JM i per - month on th'is score on account.of the" Health Department, and if there were a recrudescence of tho epidemic then, according to the Minister, the whole matter- would bo thrown on the hoard. Jt■■must, therefore, be'quits clear to nienihei's that the hoard could not continue the payment of these pensions. In'that event, any further claimants could not look'to the hoard for pensions, as the hoard would have quite enough to do to finance tho general epidemic expenditure, should there be another outbreak.