CITY AMBULANCE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 117, 16 April 1940, Page 9

CITY AMBULANCE

AMALGAMATION DESIRED. REQUEST TO HOSPITAL BOARD. Further proposals for the amalgamation of the Palmerston North Hospital Board’s ambulance service with that of the Palmerston North District Free Ambulance were placed before the board at its meeting, yesterday, by a deputation from the Free Ambulance consisting of Messrs S. G. Northey and C. L. Turnbull. The board deferred taking any action until it had obtained figures detailing the working of ambulances in other centres which had taken over the hospital boards’ service. Mr Northey said he hoped that the hoard would set up a sub-committee to discuss the question with the Free Ambulance. Ho realised that the running of the two services might he uneconomical, and if the two could lie merged lie hoped that the board would take a broad view. Mr Turnbull placed the following statement before the board:—“The following figures and facts are given in correction of those compiled by your board’s accountant in reference to our service. My committee does not wish to enter into any controversy in these discussions, but realises the necessity of placing before the board and the public .tlie true and proper position as a basis of further deliberations. Last year’s mileage is stated in your accountant’s report as 8000 miles. The fact is that our ambulances during that time travelled 15,048 miles (say 16,000), or 100 per cent more than the distance with which we are credited. The same report estimates our cost at 2s a mile and that of your hoard’s service at l()d. A glance at tlie previous understatement of mileages will shoiv to what extent this cost is at variance with the fact. Including the cost of collecting our finance, with which your board does not have to contend, our cost' a mile is about Is Id ; taking out this collecting cost, our average decreases to approximately lOd a mile. The cost of other parallel services in the Dominion is practically the same as this latter. According to a paragraph appearing in our local papers recently the average mileage of your board’s cases is 100 miles, while that of our service is 20.75, and the respective mileages for the last year 38.3i2 and, say, 16,000. These figures lead us to the fact that your board’s ambulances have attended 384 cases whereas our ambulances have attended 783. It is quite correct that the board’s ambulances are running nearly two and a-lialf times the distance done by-ours, but a glance at tlie respective cases reveals a different position. From tlie foregoing it will be realised that the work being done by the Free Ambulance could not be added to that of the board’s service without expenditure considerably greater than that stated in the accountant’s report.” Mr Turnbull added that the Free Ambulance desired, if possible, a building in town in which it could bouse itself and two other organisations which could not at present find a home. If amalgamation of the services took place, the board bad nothing to lose—it would simply be transferring the ambulance service to a specialised body. Tlie board would have direct representation on the body controlling the ambulance and representation would also be given the medical services and any county council which desired' it. If not satisfactory, tlie control of the ambulance service could be taken back by tlie board. After seven years’ service in the district surely the ambulance should not be cast aside and set at nought. There were several new activities which the Free Ambulance desired to put into service. It was not proposed that the ambulance system should lie a taxi service, and a doctor’s certificate would be necessary before it would take cases. The ambulance would operate in the backblocks and provide a service, there as well as nearer the town. Palmerston North was as suitable for the service as any other town in New Zealand. A discussion arose on the completeness of the audited figures of the running of the ambulance. Mr A. E. Mansford said that the Hospital Board could provide a service for the backblqcks ns w’ell as the Free Ambulance could. He did not sec that any benefit would arise from the amalgamation, or from the proposed subcommittee. After the deputation had withdrawn it was decided to consider figures of the working of ambulances in other districts before taking action.