WAR DANGERS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 9 February 1942, Page 3

WAR DANGERS

PROVISION FOR CARE OF INJURED ADDRESS BY MINISTER OF HEALTH. TREATMENT OF SICK AND WOUNDED SOLDIERS. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) WELLINGTON, This Day “The advent of Japan into the war has brought home more vividly the realisation that it is probable that casualties will ■ be suffered by both the armed forces and by civilians within this Dominion before the war ends,” said the Minister of Health, Mr Nordmeyer, when speaking of the health services of the country in an address last night.

“It is unlikely, of course,” he said, "that we will experience an attack on a scale and of the magnitude experienced in other lands, but it will be nothing short of a miracle if this Dominion escapes without some attempt being made either to invade our shores or - to bomb our cities from the air or bombard them from the sea.”

The Minister referred to the steps that had been taken to meet such an emergency, and said that a scheme involving tire co-ordination of hospital facilities in contiguous districts had been so perfected that the public might rest assured that if any specific locality were attacked and casualties occurred on a wide scale, complete arrangements would be made for dealing with this either in the local hospital, in auxiliary hospitals that had been earmarked for the purpose, or in surroundingtowns. -Actually 21,000 additional beds could be made available in the Dominion to meet an emergency. In addition, the E.P.S. organisation had worked out detailed plans in every centre for dealing with casualties that might occur in an air raid or bombardment.

Arrangements were as near perfect as could be and should function smoothly if the occasion required it. Plans had also been completed for the evacuation from hospitals of persons who in an emergency could, without serious disadvantage, be sent either to their homes, or to a subsidiary institution, thus leaving beds free for emergency hospital cases. “I would like you to think of the splendid work being achieved by doctors and nurses serving with the armed forces overseas,” the Minister continued. “We have sent no fewer than 239 doctors and 400 nurses to care for our men, and the medical and nursing services associated with the armed forces are better equipped today than they have ever been for dealing with sickness and injury.” Mr Nordmeyer also referred to the arrangements that had been made within the Dominion to care for sick and wounded men sent home, giving details of the hospitals and convalescent homes established in the Dominion. The whole arrangements, he said, had been carefully thought out and he could give an unconditional assurance that the facilities were fully adequate to cope with the number of men returning for treatment. The problem of treating sick soldiers in camps within the Dominion was also discussed by Mr Nordmeyer, who said that common ailments, such as mumps, influenza, and measles, represented a very big additional burden on hospital accommodation. ’ A point of cardinal importance, Mr Nordmeyer concluded, was the necessity of keeping all health services as free and mobile as possible to meet an emergency. The more fit and healthy the people were the less de-, mands would be made on doctors and hospital staffs and the person who tried to keep himself fit was making a substantial war contribution.