Bowen Hospital

Rau rangatira mā, e huihui nei, tēnei aku mihi māhana ki a koutou. Kia ora tātou katoa. Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, warm greetings to you all.

I specifically acknowledge:  Andrew Blair, Chief Executive of Acurity Health; the Directors of Acurity Health ; Dorothy Shaw, Manager of Bowen Hospital;  Bowen Trust Board members and the grandchildren and extended family of Dr William Herbert; Hon Peter Dunne, Minister of the Crown and MP for Ohariu; Your Worship Celia Wade Brown, Mayor of Wellington —tēnā koutou katoa.

Thank you for inviting me here to Bowen Hospital today.  Earlier I unveiled the Bowen Trust Historical Mural which commemorated the long and fruitful relationship between the Bowen Trust Board and Bowen Hospital.  Now I have the pleasure of opening the hospital’s new theatres and day stay suite.

I am told it is 98 years - almost a century  - since Dr William Herbert invited Dr Henry Hardwicke-Smith to join him in opening a private hospital in Wellington.  A few years later, their brand new hospital opened in Bowen Street.

Were they alive today, Dr Herbert and Dr Hardwicke-Smith would be pleased to see the history of the hospital captured in the mural I unveiled.  I think they would also be astonished to see how their vision has grown to be a comprehensive healthcare facility here at Crofton Downs.

I am conscious that I am not the first Governor-General to preside over an opening ceremony at this site.  In 1971, Sir Arthur Porritt opened this building.  Porritt once remarked on the many opening ceremonies he conducted during his term as Governor-General, that as a former surgeon, he felt he was not doing very well – he had opened almost everything imaginable, but so far had not closed anything!

When he opened this building, he would have cast a very professional eye over what this hospital had to offer its patients in the way of operating facilities and hospital care.  One would expect that from a distinguished consultant surgeon - President of the Royal College of Surgeons, Surgeon to King George VI and Sergeant-Surgeon to Queen Elizabeth II.  I am sure he would have approved of the world-class facilities provided for Bowen Hospital surgeons today. 

Porritt’s views on health and medicine were considered to be forward-thinking.  He noted, for example, when opening Dunedin Hospital's Clinical Services Centre that: "An ounce of human kindness and friendly understanding is worth every bit as much as a pound of the most wonderful wonder-drugs and the most dramatic surgical techniques". 

Of course, a good hospital aims to provide both.  These are things this hospital, supported by the Bowen Trust Board, have done well.  Bowen Hospital’s reputation for excellence has earned it a great deal of gratitude and respect from the community.

In the late 1950s, another Governor-General, Lord Cobham, spoke on the challenges facing medicine in the future.  He pondered the challenges of meeting the health needs and expectations of an expanding population.  Cobham’s predictions have come true – as we balance the needs of a much larger ageing population and the cost of increasingly sophisticated medical treatment and equipment.

Lord Cobham had great respect for medical people, because as he noted “they bring us into the world and see us out of it”.    He also observed that “doctors constantly make decisions upon which hangs the happiness of a great many people”.

I am sure he was thinking not only of the patients; but also of their loved ones, workmates, and friends.  In doing this vital work, the duty of care borne by medical staff is an enormous responsibility.  Bowen Hospital has clearly met these needs in the community.  Its growth and longevity is testament to its dedicated people, who have a strong commitment to quality care.

As with any new facility, congratulations are also due to all who have been concerned with the redevelopment.  I understand this is the end of quite a major building programme, and it’s good to know that through all of that the hospital has been able to continue its operations.

In conclusion, these new facilities will surely consolidate Bowen’s reputation for up-to-date capability: staff, technology, equipment, facilities and care.  And in that regard, I am delighted to have this opportunity to carry on the vice-regal connection with Bowen Hospital.  And, I am pleased to officially open Bowen Hospital’s new operating theatres and the day-stay centre.  I wish everyone on the staff all the best as you work here, and as you prepare to commemorate your centenary in 2014.
Kia ora, huihui tātou katoa.