THREE-STOREY BLOCK

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1079, 17 September 1930, Page 7

THREE-STOREY BLOCK

ADDITIONS WANTED URGENTLY AT INFIRMARY INVITATION TO MINISTER The Minister of Health, the Hon. A. J. Stallworthy, is to be invited by the Auckland Hospital Board, at the close of the present session, to meet it to discuss the necessity of immediately •authorising the additions to the infirmary. for which the board is row pressing. The board decided upon tins course yesterday afternoon, when on the recommendation of the finance committee, it decided to keep to the fore the need for providing further accommodation for male patients of the infirmary, and to seek the consent of the Minister immediately to the erection of a three-storey block to contain 100 beds. This decision followed upon the reports of departmental officers, who were unfavourable toward the proposa» to purchase Cintra. In response to the board’s representations for authorisation of the extensions. the Director-General advised the board yesterday that a report had been called for from one of his officers. “It is a new method of procrastination—putting off the evil day.” commented the chairman of the board. Mr. W. Wallace. He pointed out that Dr. Shaw, inspector of hospitals, had recently been through the institution, and agreed that additional accommodation was urgently required. There was no more room in the hospital, but if space was provided at the infirmary at least 50 patients could be shifted there immediately. He claimed that 75 per cent, of the patients in hospital had no homes to which they could be sent. “The welfare of the patients must be the board’s first consideration, and like the slogan of the railways is ‘safety first.’ so it must be with ths hospital ‘patients first.’ ” remarked Mr. Wallace. Mr. E. H. Potter said he had mentioned the subject to the Minister when in Wellington recently, and Mr. Stallworthy then stated he would be pleased to meet the board.