Oamaru Hospital

Description

Welcome to Oamaru Hospital We are the only hospital providing secondary level healthcare services to the population of the Waitaki District Our catchment population is approximately 22000 within a large boundary area of approximately 7148 square kilometres

Our hospital is operated by the Waitaki District Health Services Ltd a company owned by the Waitaki District Council as the community agency which facilitated the takeover of health services when HealthCare Otago withdrew from providing rural health services in 1998 The health service company took over operations at the old Oamaru Hospital on 1 July 1999 operating from there until the new hospital was commissioned in August 2000

Now located in the central business area of Oamaru adjacent to Takaro Park Oamaru Hospital now strives to provide high quality hospital and community healthcare services close to home

History

Beginnings 1864 1871

In 1864 the Oamaru Town Board consulted its two local physicians Drs J S Wait and T J T Williams regarding the selection of a suitable location for a hospital The first site chosen was in Reed Street where the North School now stands However efforts to raise funds through public support were unsuccessful Reasons for this are unclear but in the minds of many people hospitals were somewhere to die and not places to get well

New Public Appeal

In 1871 a public meeting was held to organise a new appeal This time public support was more enthusiastic and the project supported by a Provincial Government subsidy was able to proceed The success this time was due to a great extent to the efforts of Oamaru businessman Samuel Shrimski

Building Contract Awarded

By the end of 1871 a permanent hospital committee had been formed The original Reed Street site had been abandoned in favour of Reserve D a high section overlooking Eden and Chelmer Streets A design for a singlestorey hospital was adopted and the building contract was awarded for the sum of pound729

The Oamaru Hospital 1872 1918

The foundation stone for the new hospital was laid by Deborah Shrimski Samuels wife on 2 April 1872 Oamaru shops were closed for the occasion and the town adorned with bunting A procession headed by the town band left Takaro Park for the high and windy site

Oamaru Hospital Opens

Oamaru Hospital was officially opened on 2 December 1872 although the first patient 12 yearold James Riddell had been received the previous month The new facility had four small wards with two beds each There was also a day room a surgery and two rooms for the warder and his wife An attached wooden building contained a pantry kitchen and wash house

According to the North Otago Times report on 3 December 1872 the Hon John McLean president of the hospital committee noted that the quotpresent financial condition of the hospital was very satisfactoryquot He added that quothe would like to see the grounds ploughed up and properly laid and would be willing to send two plough teams himself and others would no doubt be happy to assist in a similar mannerquot

The First Year

During the first complete year 63 patients were admitted with an average daily patient occupancy between six and seven Patients were expected to make a financial contribution where possible Many were not able to afford the pound1 weekly fee but the committee didnt press them for payment Some patients however were quite able to pay but managed to avoid doing so

Hospital Funding and Building Plans

The trustees continued to administer the Hospital relying on contributions fees and income from endowments From 1890s through the early years of the next century the trustees undertook a major building plan The mens ward was extended and a sunroom and nurses quarters added However hospital developments were always limited by a shortage of funds

Waitaki Hospital Board Years 1925 1990

By 1924 the trustees were in financial difficulties Further extensions and improvements were required and the old administration was simply unable to afford them In 1925 the hospital committee finally accepted Government control and the Waitaki Hospital Board took over

At the time of the takeover the Oamaru Hospital provided 60 beds 36 in the general wards 14 in the isolation block 8 in the childrens ward and 2 in the consumptive tuberculosis shelter Average bed occupancy per day totalled 393 There were 20 nurses and a domestic staff of 11 workers

More Improvements

The new administration made a number of improvements over the next few years For example a new TB tuberculosis shelter and an xray room were opened in 1926 and new wards built in 1930 Some wards were named after benefactors of people connected with the hospital These names include Fraser Forrester Kirkness and Hall among others and are remembered on plaques to this day

Developments 1930 1980s

The period from 1930 to the 1980s saw a great deal of development The Adeline Jones Maternity Annexe opened in 1952 and a new hospital block was completed in 1964 The theatre block and dispensary were upgraded and in 1984 new geriatric wards and an administration block were opened

New Bureaucracies 1990 1999 Uncertain Times

Government health reforms led to uncertainty for nearly a decade Area Health Boards would be abolished and replaced by a bewildering range of bureaucracies whose aim was to quotrationalizequot health costs and delivery Some hospital charges were also introduced It became clear that regional health services were under threat

By November 1991 it seemed likely that Oamaru Hospital would be downgraded and lose its surgical services Public response to this was immediate and a petition was signed by 12126 people In Oamaru a citizens march attracted 13500 protesters half of the Waitaki population

In June 1993 the Crown Health Enterprise and Regional Health Authority twotier funding structures were established Public concerns and lobbying efforts did little to stem the tide of change as Oamarus hospital services were gradually allowed to run down

Further changes included a loss of inpatient surgical procedures in 1994 Deep concern was felt in many quarters and Waitaki District Council representatives were appointed in an endeavour to explore ways and means of maintaining the hospital and services

By 1997 all surgical operations requiring anaesthetic had ceased The Adeline Jones Maternity Annexe also closed This period of uncertainty was especially hard for hospital staff who worked under increasingly difficult circumstances

A New Hospital 1998 2000

Eventually as a result of a variety of community lobbyists a contract was secured with the then Government Funding Agency ensuring a continuation of services for the Waitaki population This provided the impetus for a drive to build a new hospital complex An innovative plan was conceived by architect John McKenzie incorporating the historic Middle School in a modern complex near Takaro Park

Waitaki District Council established Waitaki District Health Services Ltd to own and run the new hospital and the Government was approached to provide the necessary funding The initial board comprised of Mr G L Berry Chairman Mesdames E Ludeman Deputy K Hanning Dr D Holdaway Messrs A Alden and K J Scott Councillor B N Albiston interim

In 1998 the Government announced a 5 million loan towards the building of a new Oamaru Hospital Its opening on 28 June 2000 has continued a service to the town and district which began nearly 140 years ago when the need for such a facility was first considered