‘People will actually die’: Southland leaders speak out about Dunedin Hospital rebuild

Wednesday, 2 October 2024

Invercargill’s mayor says he can wear many hats on the issue of the Dunedin Hospital rebuild – that of a mayor, as president of the Southland Kidney Society, and as an inpatient through open-heart and cancer surgery.

“I am very disappointed that there is a significant rescoping of the new Dunedin Hospital build,” Nobby Clark said.

Last week, government ministers said spiralling costs meant the original 2017 budget estimation of $1.2 billion to $1.4b could approach $3b, prompting a radical rethink of the project.

They said poor planning, coupled with rising costs, meant there were now two options available: revise the current project specification and scope, or carry out a staged development of the old hospital site.

On Saturday an estimated 35,000 people marched along Dunedin’s George St in protest at the proposed cuts.

Clark said the rescoping did not bode well for Invercargill, which was very reliant on the specialist services and capacity of Dunedin Hospital as a regional facility.

“After nearly 16 years in the design stage, how this project can go from $1.59b to now forecast at $3.0b in less than a couple of years is unacceptable. That is double the original costing,” he said.

“I find that the Government’s reliance on Health NZ to ‘come up with alternatives by Christmas this year’ is a concern, as they have managed this project scoping for years.

“How could they get it so wrong?”

Clark said he also noted that at the meeting with Health Minister Shane Reti and Infrastructure Minister Chris Bishop, Dunedin mayor Jules Radich asked if the current range of clinical services in Dunedin would remain.

Radich got no confirmation that they would, Clark said.

“I believe health is the number one focus for any government, because without adequate resourcing, people will actually die.”

Gore District mayor Ben Bell said he agreed that the $3b price tag for the project was “unrealistic“.

“We’re not hitting the panic button yet, because there has been no announcement of cuts to frontline services,” he said.

”But from a regional perspective, it shows the importance of regional beds at the moment.

“We’ll be in a better position to protest when those decisions are made.”

Southland District mayor Rob Scott said the further delays and cuts were “incredibly disappointing”.

“We already have a postcode lottery when it comes to health in Southland, to the point that our dedicated community have gone out and built a charity hospital from scratch.

“Primary care services in our communities have depleted over the years, putting pressure on Southland Hospital, which was built too small 20 years ago.

“New Zealand needs to learn how to build long-term infrastructure better and stop letting politics get in the way of delivery of these important multi-generational assets.

“Hospitals aren’t nice-to-haves; they are essential for the basic needs of our people, and the south is not going take this lightly.

“I feel that the protests over the weekend are just the start.”

Scott said he had written to Reti to express his “displeasure at the Government’s decision”.

Southland MP Joseph Mooney said he was “strongly advocating” within the Government for modern, fit-for-purpose hospital facilities in the growing southern region.

“I certainly understand how deeply New Zealanders – and particularly Southlanders – care about the delivery of health services, and the passion shown in Dunedin reflects that,” he said.

“I know this is a topic that matters greatly to many people.

“As a local MP, I’ve been reassured that both Health New Zealand and relevant ministers are determined to deliver a hospital that Dunedin and the wider south needs and deserves.”

Last week’s announcement was a difficult one, he said, but it was necessary to ensure progress would continue – not just for Dunedin, but for the entire country’s hospital network.

“As a local MP, I will continue talking with ministers about how we can best move forward with this critical project for the health of the south.”

Invercargill MP Penny Simmonds said she was aware of the strength of feeling about securing a positive future for the tertiary hospital in Dunedin.

“I will continue to advocate for this region and work to ensure that we get the best possible outcome regarding health services for the people of this province,” she said.

Simmonds said she was “working closely” with Reti and other ministers to “find the best way forward for this project and for the people of the south”.

The costs of Dunedin Hospital could not be justified when other hospitals were also crying out for maintenance, upgrades and new facilities, she said.

That included Southland Hospital, which needed an emergency department upgrade and more theatre space.

“We are committed to ensuring that the people of the south get the modern, fit-for-purpose medical facilities that they need – while applying the financial rigour that taxpayers expect.”

The Hospital Cuts Hurt campaign, launched by Dunedin’s mayor and councillors this week, aimed to fight any clinical cuts.