The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE. ‘SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1920. TAIHAPE’S HOSPITAL NEEDS.

Taihape Daily Times, Volume XI, Issue 3469, 24 April 1920, Page 4

The Taihape Daily Times AND WAIMARINO ADVOCATE.

‘SATURDAY, APRIL 24, 1920. TAIHAPE’S HOSPITAL NEEDS.

With which is incorporated “The Taihape Post and Waimarino News.”

Past meetings of the Wanganui Hospital Board held in Taihapc cannot be said tobe of pleasant memory, tor they have largely been tinct-ured with squabbling and »scandelmongering of a rude and somewhat indelicate character. The meeting held at the Taihapc Hospital on‘-Wednesday afternoon, ‘a report of which"? appeared yesterday, was of another, igratifying’ and businesslike, ‘kind; Members of the Boardmadcp-an exhaustive inspection of the Whole prem-ises-and investigated wherever improvements were requested. At the meeting in the afternoon the Taihape member of the Board,‘ Mr “J. P. Aldridge, comprehenssively reviewed the hospital requirements of the rapidly growing Taihape District, and particularly stressed the inadequacy of pr-csen't'°provisions. In fact, Mr Aldridg_e’s advocacy should earn for general and .widespread ~,congratulat_ion: _There were few,.or no important arguments for hxtensiou and equipment he -missed; that he had good and ample grounds for what he stated at the meeting no one will deny, yet it is not everyone that is capable of such convincing and interested advocacy. Mr Aldridge proved a stickler for prompt action in all matters concerning lifc,~ death and health. He said the - Taihape district was 2. large; and _most important one, one that was almost daily growing in magnitude and population, carrying with its increased and closely settled areas, additional hospital responsibilities. He drew the Board’s attention to the fact that the hdspital (li"s"'t»ri"ct would be extended by the passing over of a very large area from the I-lawke’s Bay County to the Rnngitikei County owing to all trafiic tlic-refroni coming into Taihape, and be instuneed matters of closer settlement by the cutting up of large estates, those already subdivided and sold, those being subdivided, and othel's that are about to be surveyed for closer settlement; there was little Mr Aldridge missed in support of his contention for the need of increased facilities for dealing Cwitzh. hospital cases. Without doubt it would be positively inhuman to take any man, .~nfl"ering from serious accident or other afiliction, past Taihape after being brought from Raurimu, Ohakunc or Raetihi, Va/distance of forty miles and upwards, or _from across "the Rangitikei River, from the Hawkc’s Bay territory that is this month being -‘taken into the Wanganui Hospitnl District. Cases from half-a.-dozen counties find their way to Taihape, and there is neither the building nor the equipment to give them that care and attention human life should.invokeV and ensure-. There can be no denial of the extreme need there is in Taihapc for the most up-to-date hospital equipment and for ample room for a large number of accident and clinical cases. It is a natural centre for 9. hospital as, in truth, all roads for a radius of forty miles and over, all lead to Taihape. It is‘ well known there is great shortage of hospital help, but the Board should make some effort to relieve the strain on those who are working almost night and day to cope with the needs of the large number of cases that come under their care. The staff needs enlarging, and? it is time a resident surgeon was put in -charge, No

L‘ - as Q». . one hereabout needs telling that nle(h-

cal men are kept-Well Lmployed, too well employed to give“ their -time to the hospital, and it is questionable §whether generous, sympathetic practitioners should be expected to carry ’ tlreyliole burden, such as the Taihapo Hospital. has now become. From the Chairm‘an’s remarks he is undoubtedly impressed with the hospital re3quirements of this district, but it seems that what the Board has al‘ready urged upon the '.Eleal=t.h Depart‘,ment has not been done. Money has 5 been set aside but has not been made lavailable for expenditure, and the §Chairman indicated that it never lwculd be unless -the Taihape member tof the Board kept up an insistent iprodding of the Department. Such llack of understanding in hospital jnceds is unpardonable, and the peo‘ple have a right to expect something lbetter. One member of the Board ‘expressed the opinion that a new i county was about due, but unless some ldefinite forward mrovement is made I in connection with the hospital, a new hospital district will become an urigent necessity. In addition to evijdencc for extension. given by Mr Aldridge it may be mentioned that something approaching two hundred thousand pounds are likely -to be spent in ithe Taih-ape district on road metalling {within the next two or three years. 1 Two new bridges are to be put -across ‘the R-angitikei River, completely connecting up the land now taken over 'from the Ha.wke.’s Bay County with Taihape. Any experienced person knows that quite an army of roadmakers and bridge-builders will be operating to the north~eastWa.rd, they also know that that ariny of workers twill have marvellously good luck if ‘it does not furnish enough cases to strain hospitai aecommoda-tion, equipment and staff? to breaking point. View this part of /the counrty’s hospital needs as one will they are immeasurably greater than the present supply, and on behalf of the district we appeal to the Board to urge upon the Department that it is -absolutely essential in the -'('la.use of life and health that adequate ‘provision should be made before it is too late -to prevent calamity and scandal. Surely no sane person will deny that :1 distl'i_ct_oxtend_ing from Marten tO.Raurimu, approximately ;100.miles' ,and I'uilni_'ng eastward ‘of Taihape Over forty miles, is ill;plfoy'ided for against sickness and aeeirleint with the pre-. sent hospital a'ecommodat.ion. We‘ urge upon the Board a reali-sa'tion of this (listrict’s hospital needs: so that.‘ its members will leave no useful effort

unexerted in inducing the Health Department. =fo efiect the purpose for which it came info existence.