Profile of Waimarino Hospital

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 2, Issue 3, 19 June 1984, Page 8

Profile of Waimarino Hospital

In Part Two of her look at personalities and places

in the Waimarino,

Mary Anne

Gili

' profiles not a

person but a place ... the Waimarino Hospital in Raetihi.

When the Minister of Health, Mr Aussie Malcolm, recently ; announced in Parliament that the Waimarino Hospital in Raetihi would remain open, the sighs bf relief could be heard throughout the area that the hospital has served so well. The future of the obstetric unit, whilst still very much up in the air, will be resolved by the Wanganui Hospital Board in July. Mr Malcolm's reply to a question from Mike Moore the Member of Parliament for Papanui, ended months of uncertainty for the staff at the Hospital and it means that they do not have to face the prospect of finding a new job in the immediate future. The history of the hospital

on a hui overlooking Raetihi, is a fascinating one. Built with money raised by the town's citizens in 1 922, the hospital , under the controlling authority of the Wanganui Hospital Board, came into being when the then Minister of Health ruled in favour of Raetihi rather than Ohakune which had also applied to have a hospital. Prior to the hospital being built in Raetihi only a nursing home had been available to attend to local needs in the early 1900's. But as the Waimarino population grew it became imperative to have a local hospital — the nearest, at Taihape, was a rough two-and-a-half hour ride away. And so it was ... through the good and bad times, the hospital was always there, caring for broken bones, expectant mothers, weary

bodies and tired hearts. The first two patients admitted, were coincidentally suffering from the same malady, that of appendicitis. Edward Richard Williams a 27-year old mill hand from Wilson's Mill, Horopito was operated on on the 12 November 1922, stayed fora period of thirteen days and paid 9/- per day. Ernest John Brown, a 22year old labourer of Seddon Street, Raetihi, was not so fortunate however. He was admitted on the 15 November 1922 but was not discharged until the 20 February 1923, a period of ninety-seven days. Strowan Feronia White, a 24-year old housewife from Pipiriki, has the honour of being the first obstetric patient. The admittance book does not show what sex her baby was. It does say that

she was 'cured' of her lllness. Quite a subtle way of saying she was delivered safely of a baby on the 2 January 1923. Mrs White stayed for twenty-three days and paid £13-10/-. She must have queried this as, soon afterwards, she was refunded £2-11/- with the comment that she had been overcharged! It was the maternity wing at the hospital that was and still is particularly important to women in the area. The hazardous journey over the Paraparas to Wanganui - was, both theji and now, a difficult one for a woman in labour. No records could be found as to the number of children actually delivered on this well-known stretch of road, but had they been revealed, the results may well have surprised all. Having been driven by ambulance myself to Wanganui, I do not recommend it, but I am a notoriously bad traveller at the best of times so I am probably not the best example. That brings us back to the present day and a situation that currently exists where the future of the maternity unit is in some doubt. People's jobs and futures hang in the balance waiting while the Wanganui Hospital Board once again defer their 'difficult' decision. The Board have laid down several guidelines — related to the maternity unit — that the Waimarino Hospital must abide by under all circumstances. If the following points exist, the continued cn facing page

Hospital staff are reassured

cont'd from previous page woman must be transferred to Wanganui Hospital: (a) If the birtti is likely to be a breech one (b) The membranes have been ruptured for 1 8 hours (c) When the woman has failed to progress in labour (d) When the woman is what is called an elderly primate i.e. she is over' twenty-five and having her first baby (e) When the woman is regarded as being at risk i.e. she may be forty and having her fifth baby, she would perhaps be at risk. Dr Perera in Ohakune is the only doctor in the area who is qualified to deliver babies. On the weekend of the 9 June, he was away so a woman was transferred to Wanganui to have her baby. The baby was born almost upon arrival and was promptly brought back to Raetihi. The cost of that exercise can only be guessed at and makes many people wonder what can and should be done to alleviate the problem. There are some that say the obstetric unit should be upgraded so that fewer women are transferred. Others say that the number of beds should be reduced and others that the unit be closed alltogether. The Hospital Board are considering all sides to the argument. In the interim everyone must wait and see and hope that the right decision is made. The " hospital is fortunate that it can call on its competent midwives and nurses and they continue to be helpful to all patients in this time of uncertainty. The services offerred at the hospital, in my opinion

(and I have recently been an obstetric patient there) are excellent. The meals, contrary to what many people say about hospital food, are delicious and the staff are friendly and helpful. All in all, they made my stay there an enjoyable one. The support for the *

hospital is obviously t.here — the money raised for the new day room from around the area is testimony to this. Now the hospital can look to the future and continue to serve the community at large as it has done for the past sixty-two years.

Mary Anne Gill