Minister Voices Health Ambition

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 299, 9 March 1928, Page 13

Minister Voices Health Ambition

PREVENTION THE AIM KAITAIA'S NEW HOSPITAL (From Our Oicn Correspondent) KAITAIA, Thursday. j BY adopting progressive measures the Minister of Health hopes to bring maternity mortality j below 3 to the 1,000. The measures were outlined by the Minister J yesterday. Ho was engaged in opening the new memorial hospital at Kaiataia. built entirely by subsidised public subscription, mostly from returned soldiers and Alaoris. “Very interesting evolution is taking place in New Zealand with regard to hospital and medical service, most of | the recent developments being in the ( direction of preventing disease rather than treating it,” he said. THE MATERNITY QUESTION For this purpose, he continued, such maternity hospitals as the Kaitaia institutions were of great importance to the health of the Dominion. He hoped that the local board would so fix its fees that the hospital might ] become popular with working people, j He also urged that an ante-natal clinic ] for expectant mothers be started in j connection with the institution. Alaternal mortality in New Zealand was 4.6 per 1,000. In this respect Denmark led the world, the rate there being as low as 2.26 a thousand. In the U.S.A. the rate was 6.90. “As Minister of Health,” he said, “I hope, if I am spared to do this great work —to bring the proportion down to below 3 a 1,000. “The splendid work of the Plunket Society and other advisory clinics which have been established and subsidised has caused a considerable improvement in the New Zealand figures during the last five years. In 1926 no fewer than 3,461 expectant mothers attended the established clinics, which, however, are mostly in the big cities, he said. These benefits should be extended to the country districts.” His department hoped to improve the conditions of maternity in New Zealand in the following ways: (1) By ante-natal clinics. (2) By improvement in the standard of training for midwives. (3) Increased number of maternity nurses. . (4) Increase of institutions specialising in treatment of abnormalities, and , .. , (5) Improvement in hospital equipment. , , The Alinistcr concluded by addressing a lew words to tlio many natives present. Among other things, he lemarked that the royal road to success for the Alaori was to set to work and cultivate the land. “Get the nabit of growing things,” he said GENEROUS CONTRIBUTIONS The geneicus contributions were particularly commented upon by the Minister, who was -introduced to the gathering by Mr. Allen Bell, M.P. lor Bay of Islands. , " Mr. Young spoke at some length on the Government's policy with regard to public health. The New Zealand Hospital Act, he said, was very wide and could be interpreted and adapted to local requirements all over the country. In the Mangonui county he had found that there was considerable difference of opinion as to where the base hospital should be. He had come to observe this problem with a view to its solution. At present he could only deal with things fa they were, and so long as the main hospital was in the eastern area all major surgery must be done there in the interests of safety. PUBLIC DINNER Those who attended the official opening at Kaitaia to-day included Messrs. A. H. Long, county chairman; T- fc>. Houston, chairman of the Hospital Board; T. H. Kenny, president ot the Citizens’ Committee; J. B. Reynolds, representing the Returned boldiers Association; Hami Puhipi and Aliss Alaata Davis, representing the Rarawa tribe and the natives of the "Western area. „,, , ... After the official opening of the building afternoon tea was served by a women’s committee and a formal inspection of the hospital took place. In the evening a civic dinner was given for the Minister, representatives of all local bodies being present.