The emergency department of Palmerston North Hospital is designed to take 22 patients and at 10 am in the morning, but, there were already 25 patients present in the unit.

It shows that the numbers of patients are increasing, but the accommodation of the hospital is still the same. The emergency department Service Manager Carrie Naylor-Williams said that the morning rush had not even started and there were already more than 25 patients present in the emergency department.

Almost, 110 patients will be examined by the end of the day, adding up to 38,000 presentations a year, which is 2000 more as compared to last year.

As the hospital is dealing with the increased number of patients, it should find ways to have a meeting with Minister of Health Tony Ryall's directive to solve the problems.

The hospital has tried all the possible ways to check patients more quickly and there is a special observation area, where patients are monitored before the health providers come to a conclusion that the patient should be admitted or send home after check up.

In the hospital, there is the medical assessment and planning unit, which decides that patient should be admitted, if the symptoms are worrying enough or should be sent home, if the symptoms are less serious.