New Zealand is heading toward having about four big hospitals and the rest ? including Wanganui's ? as "cottage hospitals".
That's the initial response of Wanganui's Community Health Group to Whanganui District Health Board's draft District Strategic Plan.
The plan says: "The current cost of services is greater than the revenue the
board receives from government." Board chief executive Memo Musa said he had not been approached with the group's concerns, but would welcome meeting with it. The board had already received 12 submissions to its plan, and been told people wanted to make verbal submissions as well. The submission period ends on August 12.
The Community Health Group's chairman, Terry O'Connor, said:
+ "dumping" patients out into the community with visits from health workers, as in mental health, would lead to problems for families and inevitable deaths
+ putting sick children and sick adults in the same ward would spread infection to vulnerable babies and the noise would drive patients to distraction
+ the group had concerns about privatisation of the "non-emergency emergencies" at the hospital ? Whanganui Accident and Medical Clinic's planned move to the site
+ treatment given "sub-regionally", usually in Palmerston North, would mean trained staff were too far away and patients would die.
The group had about 12 core members and had existed since the 1980s. Mr O'Connor said it had seen health systems come and go.
"We've been watching which way things are going to tip with the hospital. The move toward a cottage hospital is accelerating."
Whanganui had been consistently underfunded and was one of the smallest district health boards. It needed to keep its hospital, Mr O'Connor said.
