© August 20th, 1973:

_ elatively fever per capita births in the peripheral communities s (Sachuding

patterns for ob: tetric patients. or. potential obstetric patients are. neces-

sarily 1 tainly ‘caused by changes, ine ‘fhe ‘hospital. their doctor practices in,

- however. We observe that dn ‘every, other.’ ‘social service provided | to the, :
7 citizens of this area, vse is heavily affected by "pvoninity” a and 0 other.

“factors: affecting access ‘convenience, We believe that this pervasive factor

has been given Little, credence by the ‘report, ‘which | ‘states pa tient and
doctor convenience and local ‘community pride i must not be permitted to be

overriding considerations". We do not agree. af the » above considerations
care not to be considered persuasive,” “hat is? ‘The report, ‘calls : for increased

- standards of medical competence, It. “suggests bigger, more specialized, ‘better

: planned. obstetric-neonatal units as one. means: of Auprovenent. “We. “support “the:

, including « standard obstetric and. neonatal
facilities, « and | also desiring « to: establish a aajor specialized facility | for.
, ba pechaps believing

“chose in favour of the

specialized facility. We. assert, they chose wrongly, at. “odds, in . fact, wi ith

-_ their own. observations ‘about “the developing 1 higher. need: ed areas inthe tec
| Mainland. We believe “that "patient and “deston: convenience", and in fact

“increased willingness to "go | to” ‘and! use roveital& facilities ~ with inherent
positive effects o on ‘general cot health. levels = are  slomey related. to

"Localness”.

tal ‘xeferendun. To construct a: highly specialized | facility in New Westniinster

at _ the “expense | of a more general facility, to our area where none "presently

“the , city’: s vhew 1 that the Lagoon should be. phased « out as “soon » as Pc