BUILDING SCHEME

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21216, 12 September 1940, Page 6

BUILDING SCHEME

£60,000 HOSPITAL WORK BOARD APPROVES PLANS ADDITIONS TO NURSES’ HOME Plans for new buildings estimated to cost more than £60,000 were approved by the Waikato • Hospital Board to-day. Only the approval of the Director-General of Health is awaited before a start can be made on this firat section of the board’s scheme for 1 spending between £400,000 and 1 £500,000 on building additions in J the course of the next few years. With the passing of validating leg- ’ islation for granting the lease of a I site for proposed new Rotorua t Hospital, the board has only to await ■ the lease from the Lands and Survey > Department before proceeding with 1 the erection of this important addition to the board’s property. In the

meantime, however, other portions of | the general scheme are being pushed !ahead. I To-day plans came before the | board for additions in brick to the | nurses’ home at the Waikato Hos--1 pital, Hamilton. Extra accommodai tion will be provided for 114 nurses and the estimated cost of the work is £49,800. The superintendent of the hospital, Dr. H. L. Gould, stated that the average number of nurses in residence at the Waikato Hospital was 220. When the new home is | erected the old wooden nurses’ home, which has been used in conjunction with the modem brick structure, will be available for the accommodation of extra staff.

New Taupo Hospital Plans for a new residence for the superintendent estimated to cost £2700 were also approved to-day. This work has become necessary as a result of the extension to the nurses’ home requiring the demolition of the present residence of the superintendent. An expenditure of £7500 will be made on the erection of a hospital at Taupo, plans for which were also approved at the meeting. The building will have accommodation for seven beds. The chairman of the board, Mr F. Findlay, stated that early consideration would be given to the erection of an infirmary in Hamilton. POSITION AT ROTORUA j PROGRESS TO BE URGENT j MARKED OVER-CROWDING | With the passing of legislation validating the lease to the Waikato Hospital Board of portion of the Pukeroa Reserve for the site of the new I Rotorua Hospital, the board will pro--1 ceed as rapidly as possible with the I erection of the new institution. This , assurance was given at the board ! meeting to-day by the chairman, Mr j F. Findlay, when Mr J. Banks, member for the Rotorua district, again commented upon the serious development of the lack of hospital accom- \ niodation at Rotorua, j After outlining the terms of the I legislation, Mr Findlay commented that it appeared as if the board had actually attained its object after a long struggle. “It seems,” said Mr D. B. Livingstone, “that we are at last coming into calm water.” “It is not so calm,” said Mr Banks “The conditions at the existing Rotorua hospital are such that they should not be tolerated for a moment longer than is absolutely neces sary.” Extent of Overcrowding The average number of occupied beds at Rotorua during the past month, Mr Banks explained, was 112. There were only 105 permani ent beds in the hospital. The medi- ! cal superintendent at Rotorua had I continually to send to the Waikato i Hospital for extra beds. In one ward at Rotorua, the normal accommodation of which provided for six children, there were at present 14 child- ! ren. | “I have had complaints from the ! people of Rotorua,” Mr Banks went i on, “who have tried and tried to ge! | into hospital without success. The • medical superintendent told me that I the people were beginning to feel that the board was not doing all it could to provide adequate hospital facilities for Rotorua. The doctors are doing everything possible to cope with the position. Last month 900 out-patient treatments were per formed, many of them being patients who should have been in the hospital. The position with accommodation is so serious that we should go full steam ahead.” Mr Banks mentioned that new nurses’ quarters at Rotorua were occupied yesterday. The board acj cepted a tender to-day for two four- ■ bed tuberculosis shelters at the hospital. Make-Shift Provision j If the building of the hospital proper, however, was likely to take long, Mr Banks said, the board would have to consider erecting other temS porary accommodation. There were | sufficient patients waiting to warrant ' 150 permanent beds. ! With the passing of the legislation validating the lease, the Lands and Survey Department will proceed immediately with the survey of the Pukeroa Reserve and the drawingup of the lease. During the last war, it was explained, a soldiers’ hospital was I erected on the Pukeroa recreation fe- ' serve, it being considered thrift it would be a temporary institution ! only. Since it became apparent that i the site must be used for hospita’ purposes for some time, it had be | come necessary for the site to be I vested in the Waikato Hospital | Board. Under the legislation, that I would be done with a lease in perpetuity.