More Info →Foxton Maternity Home 1942-1982 Page 43

Description

[continued from previous page] than happy to continue to do so. Sister Lash had been called in three times in 12 years to act as charge midwife, with the board not once making an issue of it. Suddenly it was an issue, only because the board simply wanted to close the Maternity Home down, which to Mrs Lash and to many others, would be a backward step.

Some of the given reasons were:

• The Foxton Maternity Home was the only place in town with trained staff on duty 24 hours a day.
• Each day brought many enquiries from residents on a number of subjects, not only about maternity matters.
• Many Plunket questions from mothers were often given as a necessary help to them.
• The resuscitator for the Foxton Beach Surf Club was stationed at the hospital.
• Trained midwives had periodically been called upon to travel in an ambulance to Palmerston North with sick or injured patients.
• The home also provided a 'Contact Point' for the town
• Another important service from the home was, 'Meals on Wheels'
• If the closure was imminent, staff amounted to seven nurse-aids, two mid-wives, one relieving staff-nurse, a cook, a kitchen hand, a cleaning lady and a gardener, who all stood to lose their jobs.

Sister Lash did not want the maternity hospital to go for the above reasons and many more.
The Mayor Mr D N Hunt and the borough council did not want the hospital lost either and hoped to have an action committee formed to co-ordinate a protest against a closure.
The townspeople and Mr Hunt were all united in their opposition to the closure of the hospital.

A public meeting on 10th September 1980 to meet with the sub-committee of the Hospital Advisory Council to consider the fate of the Maternity Hospital,-(where the Hospital Board's point of view and possible alternative plans for a maternity service were put forward,) was attended by over 100 concerned members of the community, which included representatives of over 30 community groups:

(The Foxton Borough Council, Manawatu County Council, Rotary, Lions, Chamber of Commerce, Country Women's Club, Plunket Society, Plunket Mothers, Kindergarten, Play Centre, Primary Schools (3) Manawatu College, Salvation Army, Catholic, Union,& Anglican, Churches, Girl Guides. Te Awahou: Scouts, Maori Women's Welfare League. Foxton Beach: Community Council, Improvement Association. Moutoa: Young Farmers. Also - Birthright, NZ Nurses Association, Hotel Workers Union, and Various sporting and cultural organisations.)

All Present were unanimously opposed to the losing of their important amenity, and Doctor Teppett spoke at the meeting as a local practitioner, a man concerned about the hospital closure, and as the representative on the Palmerston North Hospital Board. He [continued on next page]

Identification

Date

2005