Palmerston North Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Palmerston North Regional Hospital |
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| MidCentral District Health Board | |
Palmerston North Regional Hospital main building, May 2020
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| Geography | |
| Location | Palmerston North, Manawatū-Whanganui, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 40°20′19″S 175°37′13″E / 40.3387°S 175.6203°E |
| Organisation | |
| Funding | Public hospital |
| Hospital type | General |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Helipad | (ICAO: NZJM) |
| Beds | 354 |
Palmerston North Regional Hospital is a very important public hospital in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It's located just a short drive northeast of the city's main square. This hospital is the main one run by the MidCentral District Health Board. It helps people living in Palmerston North and the nearby areas like Manawatū, Tararua, and Horowhenua.
The hospital has 354 beds, which means it can care for many patients at once. It's also a major trauma center. This means it's ready to handle serious injuries and emergencies. It's one of four main trauma centers in the lower North Island.
Hospital History
The Palmerston North Regional Hospital first opened its doors on 27 November 1893. When it started, it had 25 beds across four different wards. Only two doctors and three nurses worked there at the time.
First Registered Nurse
Ellen Dougherty was the hospital's first matron, which is like a head nurse. She made history on 10 January 1902. On that day, she became the world's first ever registered nurse. This happened after New Zealand passed a special law called the Nurses Registration Act 1901.
Special Medical Discovery
In 1968, doctors at the hospital learned about a very rare genetic condition. It's called malignant hyperthermia (MH). This condition can cause a strong reaction in some people when they are given certain medicines for surgery. It was discovered that a large family in the Manawatū region carried the gene for this condition.
Because of this discovery, Palmerston North Regional Hospital became very important for understanding MH. About one in every 200 surgeries at this hospital involves a patient who might have MH. This is much higher than in other parts of the world. In 1978, New Zealand's first (and only) MH testing center was set up at Massey University. Later, in 1986, the hospital's own anaesthetic department took over this important testing work.
