HOSPITAL ELECTION

Opotiki News, Volume X, Issue 1044, 7 November 1947, Page 2

HOSPITAL ELECTION

(By Arrissimo)

Of the local body elections more interest seems to be taken in the Hospital Board than any other contest. Taking a retrospective view of the old board and its predeces- , sors one naturally conies' t.ft..the , conclusion they have been found , wanting in quite a number of in- ; stances. Certainly they have had . the misfortune , of having a disasttrous fire which obliterated the hospital during their term of office ; still when one considers the want of. adequate precautions for such an eventuality the board was lacking in foresight. It had buildings and equipment valued at about £30,000 to-day and with no safeguards whatsoever pardon, £7OOO. insurance. Even a school child" would clo better than that. Prior to that, however, the last election was fought to'kcep expenses down to the minimum. This was the ease in the County and having the majority in numbers ruled the day. In the meantime the Government has pegged the rate of both county and borough at a half-penny in the pound as the maximum rate and of course both the- county and borough councils had no option but pay this limit to the rate to be collected. If a little foresight had been taken years ago to have safeguarded their buildings and equipment with insurance and fire precautions they would not have been in the mess they are in to-day. Even after the lesson shown last year

they are still found wanting in covering themselves in adequate fire fighting measures. They have had a- fireplug installed at the top of the hill opposite the Nurses’ Home, but- the isolation ward which is practically a quarter of a mile away is still left unprotected. When one says unprotected, the fire Brigade which is willing to cooperate (although out of its area) would have to run out- and couple up over thirteen hundred feet- oi hose through hedges, over four ’ fences, and then perhaps get an ini adequate pressure to work with successfully. Are not the buildings, ; the human lives therein, the equipment- and the nurses worthy of more consideration than that. The , temporary hospital, which, by the J way, was intended as a maternity home, i*» even in a worse plight ' for a major outbreak of five. I am ! informed there arc a few inch hose ’ taps available in this building foi ’ an incipient- outbreak only, but tot- ! ally inadequate to quell a serious fire. What the insurance cover stands at the present time I know

not, but if it is anything like the precautionary measures it must be still at a very low figure. Then again, an ambulance for the district which covers a wide area was recently brought before the board’s notice but was turned down as being unnecessary or not as urgent as the new hospital. Recent events however, point that the board has again been found lacking in foresight ; so much so, that a few citizens have come forward to contest the forthcoming election with this issue as one of the planks in their platform. With this end in view

an appeal to the electors to seriously consider the new candidates to put our hospital, maternity home, ambulance and all that appertains to the health and welfare of the district on a sound and better footing. With this object in view two Maori candidates have been nominated and if elected will wholeheartedly co-operate to procure an ambulance for the district. When one considers, say a serious acci-

dent happening down the Goas with patients having to receive ur gent hospital attention,, an ambul ance is a vital necessity.

I have recently heard one argument put forward that before an ambulance coifld be run successfully a branch cf the St. John’s would have to be formed. To my mind that is only the thin edge of the wedge to sprag the issue and was put forward by a few of the Hospital Board members. An ex-Wai-l'oa resident now living in Opotiki,

states that while he was living in Wairoa a hospital ambulance was run very efficiently, being garaged by a motor firm, one of the staff being made available instantly whenever the ambulance was required. A local medico also states that he had resided in a town which also successfully ran an ambulance without a St. John Brigade. At the same time he is a keen advocate for the establishment of a St, John branch in Opotiki owing to its many advantages -in first aid work. In Gisborne the Cook Hospital ambulance, has often made trips to Matawai and in these eases the district nurse accompanied the case to the Cook Hospital. In Opotiki we have had quite a few Y.A.D.’s taking first aid courses and also a ful-ly-trained E.P.S. first aid section. Had an ambulance been procured before, there is no doubt those interested would have formed themselves into a branch of the St. John Ambulance Brigade which is a very valuable body to have in any district. That a hospital inibulanCc is a vital and urgent necessity is shown by the fact that the Chamber of Commerce is unanimously behind the.scheme that an ambulance be procured without delay.