PM brushes off hospital concerns
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon yesterday defended progress on the new Dunedin hospital project, despite rising clinician concern about possible cuts to planned beds in the facility.
"I said to you last time that we would build a great hospital here in Dunedin for $1.9 billion, and that's what we're doing, and isn't it great that we're doing it," Mr Luxon — in Dunedin for National's Mainland conference — said.
"We look forward to getting into construction in the middle of the year."
In January the government, after a reconsideration of the project, announced that it would go ahead with building the 11-storey building on its intended site, as planned, but said that some areas would be shelved for future use rather than being open on day one.
Taking a tour of harbourside engineering firm Farra Engineering yesterday are (from left) Rangitata MP and Minister for the South Island James Meager, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, Finance Minister Nicola Willis and Farra managing director Gareth Evans. PHOTO: LINDA ROBERTSON
Last month Health Minister Simeon Brown announced that Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora had started a tender process for the next stage of construction of the hospital's inpatient building, with work recommencing on the former Cadbury site from mid-year
However, in the past week clinicians have expressed concern about the number of intensive care unit beds to be open on day one and alarm about a drastic cut to older people's mental health beds.
When asked about the clinician's concerns Mr Luxon brushed those aside.
"Six years of a Labour government of utter inaction, and didn't deliver a single thing for the people of Dunedin on the Dunedin hospital and yet a new government in a very short period of time dealt with a cost overload and overrun and is going to deliver an awesome hospital for the people of Dunedin ... So we're quite comfortable."
mike.houlahan@odt.co.nz
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