Waimarino Hospital

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

Waimarino Hospital

A major concern that has surfaced repeatedly in my discussions with local residents in the Waimarino area is the future of their local hospital. As a married man with a young family living in a small town serviced by an extremely efficient and friendly local hospital, I understand these feelings only too well and fully realise that with the increasing costs of providing up-to-date - equipment, qualified nursing care and experienced surgeons, an urban oriented government is making it extremely hard for our local hospitals to survive. I have said before that th's government shows no great concern for people in rural areas and this lack of concern is highlighted by issues such as this which crop up throughout the King Country electorate.

It is time that the government realised that these facilities are a real necessity in a small town and that any kind of cut-back in these facilities invariably causes hassles because of the distance from and the type of roads leading to our nearest General Hospitals. We all realise that our local hospitals have limitations in the services they can provide, but they have served our communities well over the years, and any government must be made to realise that they provide a service that is near and dear to us all. It is not the politicians in Wellington who put the petrol in our cars, provide the care for our children, and generally make ends meet when we have to travel to Hamilton or Wanganui, as the case may be, when a member of the family is unfortunate enough to have to be hospitalised. It is therefore pleasing to note that a question I had asked in Parliament on behalf of Waimarino residents regarding Waimarino Hospital brought a reply from the Minister of Health that finished with the words, and I quote — "I should add that it is my view that the Waimarino Hospital will continue to supply general and maternity hospital services to the people living in this area." I sincerely hope he means this and sees to it that the Wanganui Hospital Board is given every assistance to ensure this happens. It is imperative that the people in the Waimarino should make sure that the Minister is held to his view and this is not treated as an election year promise. I would also add that any Minister of Health should ensure that inves-

tigations carried out by health boards should be done in a more open manner so as to allay any fears and suspicions local residents may have. This would be the case under the Labour Party's 'Open Government' policy.

Jim

Simons

Labour Party Candidate King Country