PAEROA HOSPITAL.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXV, Issue 4744, 29 August 1924, Page 2

PAEROA HOSPITAL.

revised plans submitted. APPROVED BY BOARD. The Thames Hospital Board at its July meeting instructed Mr E. Si liman, architect, Paeroa, to prepare plans and specifications for a cottage hospital for Paeroa to contain a maternity ward with six beds and an smergency ward of two beds. Mr Gillman submitted a sketch plan at the August meeting of the board. This was for a building as recommended by the Health Department to occupy an area of 124 ft by ! 52ft, and the cost would be in the neighbourhood of £6300. As the board knew that the cost of fittings for the building to comply with the Health Department’s requirements would bring the,total cost up to over £BOOO, it was decided to instruct the architect to prepare a sketch plan of a building to cost about £3OOO or £4OOO. THE FUNDS. In reply to a request by the board the Mayor of Paeroa (Mr W. Marshall) wrote stating: That there was now no cash in the Hospital Trustees Fund, and all the assets had been handed over to the board. The cash standing to the credit in the Hauraki Distinct Comforts Committee Fund amounted to £259 2s sd. The trustees of this fund were quite prepared to hand over their funds to the board, but were debarred from doing so by the Minister of Internal Affairs unless the board was prepared to treat returned soldiers and their dependants at a reduced rate. Application would be made by the trustees to the Minister for his authority to hand over their funds to the board if the board agreed to make this concession. The . land occupied an area of 3 acres 3 roods 27 perches, and had a capital value of £2565 and an unimproved value of £2165. The chairman said the position was that the board had received land valued at £2165 and there_was available £345 less the deficiency of £23 9s_ lid on the Ohinemuri Hospital Institution Fund. It was decided to apply for a Government subsidy on the value of the land and to ask the members of Parliament for Ohinemuri and Thames electorates to back the request. The question of what concession should be granted to returned soldiers to enable the sum of £259 2s 5d which was standing to the credit of the Comforts Committee Fund to be transferred to the board was discussed at length, and finally it was decided, on the motion of Mr Brenan, seconded by Mr Robinson, that the Mayor of Paeroa be informed that in the event of the Hauiaki District Comforts Committee Fund donating £250 towards the building of the Paeroa Maternity Home the board was prepared to treat returned soldiers of the Hauraki Regiments at a reduction of 5 per cen.t: also their dependants when, in the opinion of the board, they were solely dependent on returned soldiers. THE PLAN. Mr Gillman attended a special' meeting of the Hospital Board yesterday- and submitted a revised plan. There was a full meeting of the board with the exception of Messrs Death and McKay, and the matron of the hospital, the maternity annex sister, and the resident surgeon Were also present. " This plan was for a building of fifteen rooms, roughly E shaped, and occupying an area 95ft by 52ft. The two-bed emergency ward was 22ft 6d by 12ft, and the four-bed maternityward 24ft by 18ft 6in. The nursery, duty room, and sterilising room occupied an area 36ft by 14£t, while staff quarters occupied 49ft by 26ft of floor space. In reply to the chairman Mr Gillman said that in his opinion the efficiency of the institution had not been greatly reduced by the reduction in size. The matron said that it was absolutely necessary to have a one-bed maternity ward for Isolation purposes. No provision had been made for this, it was almost essential that provision be made for housing a staff of four nurses. Mr Miller asked whether the plan would comply with the requirements of the Health Department. The chairman said that the department would rather reduce its requirements if insistence would possibly mean that there would not be any hospital. Dr. Bathgate said that the plan was less than the bare minimum. He was of the opinion that an isolation ward was absolutely essential. The matron suggested that the duty room could be utilised as a one-bed ward. It would be advisable to have more verandah accommodation.

The object of the emergency ward was explained by the chairman, who said that it was not intended that patients should remain in it for more than a few days. As soon as possible they should be removed to the main institution at Thames, so that room would be available to admit further cases. In reply to Mr Brenan the sister said she was of opinion that the general layout was better than that of the Thames annex. This was endorsed by Dr. Bathgate, who suggested that the emergency ward be divided into two wards, so that it could be used for maternity cases or for a male and female patient. THE COST. Tn ieply to Mr Danby the architect said that he estimated the cost of the building to be £5650 10s. The alterations suggested might make a once of £2H. The chairman said that the furnishings for the building would cost anything up to £2OOO, bringing the total to about £BOOO. In reply to Mr Brenan Mr Gillman said he would’ guarantee his estimate to be correct within ten per cent. It was moved by Mr Brenan that the plan as amended and approved by the doctor, matron, and sister be forwarded to the Health Department for its approval. Seconded by Mr W. C. Kennedy and