An open letter to Waiouru residents Waiouru urged to fight for annexe

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 276, 28 February 1989, Page 5

An open letter to Waiouru residents Waiouru urged to fight for annexe

By now, the term "Health Cuts" will be a familiar one to you all. Little by little the standard of care we all expect from our Public Health System is being eroded and this is particularly true for people living in rural areas.

Their services are being cut to enable Base Hospitals to use the funds for their own purposes. Until now, Waiouru

has survived virtually unscathed but unless you do something NOW this situation will change. The Waiouru Mater-

nity Annexe is facing closure. The Wanganui Area Health Board doubtless considers that the money needed to run the Annexe can be better utilized elsewhere and the fact that Waiouru residents will suffer is of little or no relevance. What are the likely consequences to you should the annexe close?

• First and foremost, women will no longer be able to deliver their babies in Waiouru but will need to travel to Hospitals further afield. • Unless a woman is prepared to have her baby delivered by a virtual stranger, she will need to travel from Waiouru for all her antenatal care thus suffering both the inconvenience and the cost of regular trips out of Waiouru. • The necessity for Women in labour to travel from Waiouru to a distant hospital will create a potentially dangerous situation for both mother and child. • Travel, be it for antenatal care or for a delivery could well be difficult and on occasions impossible due to harsh climatic conditions restricting or closing roads. • Jobs will be lost. • The resident civil-

ian doctor, who relies on maternity work being a major part of her practice and who has a special interest in obstetrics in general, will almost certainly leave the area thus creating a further gap in the Waiouru medical facilities. • The prospects of attracting another resident doctor to Waiouru will be diminished by the absence of the Maternity Annexe. The financial viability of the civilian medical practice, without obstetrics, is open to question. Be warned. If you do not fight the closure, it will become a reality. This is one occasion when "Leaving it to the Army" will result in the loss of a vital community asset. The Army will take its lead from you.

Waiouru Community Resource Centre Core Group