Building work is yet to start on the $24.4 million upgrade of
Dunedin and Wakari hospital facilities because the Minister
of Health has not approved the Southern District Health Board
budget for this year.
Major works to be covered by the money are the upgrade of the
cramped neonatal intensive care unit and shifting Dunedin
Hospital's acute mental health ward to Wakari Hospital.
Minister of Health Tony Ryall announced funding of almost
$24.4 million for the project during a Dunedin visit in June.
The board's Dunedin-based chief operating officer, Vivian
Blake, said recently the board had to meet a set of ministry
criteria before it could formally begin and that included the
minister signing off the board's district annual plan.
The board has had to rethink its finances for this year after
Mr Ryall rejected a budget in July which showed an $18.4
million deficit with revenue of $802.1 million.
Board finance and funding general manager Robert
Mackway-Jones said this week the board had re-submitted its
budget with a $14.9 million deficit and was awaiting formal
approval for this.
The board still had to come up with a plan to break even over
four years and that was being worked on in consultation with
the national health board.
Mrs Blake said tenders had been called for the acute mental
health ward shift and it was hoped it could proceed rapidly
once the approval was forthcoming.
The developments are part of the master site planning project
designed to help overcome the difficulties posed by the
gridlocked Dunedin Hospital site by shifting some services to
Wakari Hospital.
One of the logistical difficulties with the project is its
"Rubik's cube" nature whereby one shift inevitably
necessitates another and parts are unable to be completed in
isolation.
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