Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPTEMB. 11, 1920. OTAKI COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLII, Issue 2175, 11 September 1920, Page 2

Manawatu Herald. SATURDAY, SEPTEMB. 11, 1920. OTAKI COTTAGE HOSPITAL.

SOME year-; ago Dr. Mason induced (lit! Government to take over his private hospital at Olaki, and its administration and upkeep was placed, under the jurisdiction of the Wellington Hospital Board. The cost of maintaining such an institution increased the burden of the Wellington hospital distriet levies, in which the whole of the Horowhenua. County, including Levin 'borough, shared. At the same time patients from (he northern portion of the Horowhenua County were being sent for treatment to Palmerston. In HH2 an agitation was set afoot to have the northern portion of the Horowhenua County and borough of Levin merged into the Palmerston Hospital District. This was agreed to, but a later agitation asked I lint the whole of the Horowhenua. County be excluded from Wellington and included iu the merger. Such merger would save Ihe ratepayers iu Horowhenua ijonie hundreds of pounds per annum. The Palmerston Board consented lo agree to Horowhenua .coming in, on condition that it contributed .(.'2,500 towards additions to the hospital to provide for increased accommodation. It was distinctly pointed old at the lime that the Palmerston Board did not wish to be saddled with (he Olaki Cottage Hospital, as its policy was centralisation and district nurses. Those who advocated the merger had no authority from the Palmerston Board to say that the Collage Hospital would be maintained. In the meantime, the Department decided to take over the Cottage Hospital and administer it in conjunction with the Stale Consumptive Sa nit or in in, and the Palmerston Board was to be charged with the maintenance and collection of patients' fees. The .Department got tired of nursing the baby, and asked the Board to take over tile Collage' Hospital. A motion was put through at a Board meeting, agreeing to lake over the Collage Hospital. A molioa lo re-,-.eimi was defeated by a narrow majority, and the Hoard instructed its medical advisory committee to ascertain whether the patients treated at the Cottage Hospital could have 1 been treated eipially well in the main hospital. The Committee reported at Thursday’s'meeting that it was of opinion Unit, with the exception of occasional emergency cases, the best interests of the patients could have been served by bringing them to Palmerston North for treatment. The Board postponed dismission until a more detailed report was furnished. If this Cottage Hospital is to be maintained for the special benelil ol southern patients, then the extra administrative charges should he home hy florowhenua, or the institution closed, down.