The Government is threatening to break its election promise to build the hospital as planned. They’re trying to save money, but it’ll be the people of the south who pay.
The Southern Hospital serves 350,000 people and the largest region of any tertiary hospital in New Zealand. It trains health professionals for all New Zealand.
Retrofitting the old hospital would be more expensive in the long run, and it could cost as much to downscale the new hospital as it would to build it as promised due to design, engineering and legal fees.
The Southern Hospital build is not expensive or extravagant. It has 410 overnight beds, 53 ED beds and 15 theatres. The new Adelaide Women’s and Children’s hospital in Australia will have 414 beds, 43 ED beds and 14 theatres, and has a budget of NZ$3.5B.
When it comes to our health, the people of the South don’t want to be short-changed. That’s why we’re asking the Government to build it once, build it right.
