MATERNITY BEDS

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 234, 30 June 1944, Page 4

MATERNITY BEDS

Lack Of Accommodation In Wellington Much publicity had recently been given to the lack of suitable maternity hospital accommodation in Wellington, said Mr. C. Meaehen at a meeting of the Wellington Hospital Board last night. ■ A responsible member of the board had stated that the Alexandra Home could not accept appointments after next November. He asked whether the chairman, Mr. H. F. Toogood. would make inquiries to find out whether the position was due to lack of accommodation or luck of finance. The chairman said that there was a gentleman's agreement between the board and the Health Department, under which the board did not concern itself with maternity nursing in Wellington city, though it provided that service in the Hutt Valley, where, last year there had been a total of 914 cases. In view of the agreement -he considered it was desirable for the board to keep out of the picture, and, in any case, it was outside the board's sphere <to discuss the affairs of Alexandra Home. He could say, however. that Social Security payments did not cover the board’s costs in maternity eases. t Mr. A. H. Carman said that it was one of the functions of the board to provide maternity accommodation, and. if the Health Department wanted control in the city, there should be something more definite than a gentleman's agreement. There was certainly a crying need for maternity beds in Wellington, said Mrs. Knox Gilmer. The Minister of Health hod publicly stated that the board might be asked to do something about the provision of beds. Unless there was some request from him. it did not appear that the subject could be usefully discussed by the board meantime. Mr. O’Shea said that Mr. Meuchen's question indicated that the Alexandra Home’s difficulty was one of finance, not of space, and it might be useful if attention were drawn to that fact. The chairman said that if the board entered into the subject further than that, it might find itself with the financial baby well and truly in its arms.