Dunedin Hospital buildings' earthquake resistance ranged from good to excellent when a structural report was last done in 1998, Southern District Health Board chief operating officer (Otago) Vivian Blake says.
The board is getting structural engineers to update these reports but has been told it "may take some time" because of the number of requests for such reports.
In the 1998 reports, the ward block, the clinical services building and the oncology building, all built with reinforced concrete, were rated as excellent for earthquake resistance.
The children's pavilion, made of reinforced concrete and hollow clay tiles, and the Fraser Building, with its reinforced concrete and structural steel frame, were rated as very good.
The psychiatric services building (reinforced concrete and structural steel frame) was classed as good.
Asked whether there were any concerns about the difficulty of shifting very unwell patients on upper floors in an emergency, Mrs Blake said such patients were mixed throughout the floors.
In the main ward block, internal medicine and oncology and haematology patients were on the eighth floor, older patients on the sixth floor and the intensive-care unit on the fifth floor. If future research suggested change was needed, this would be carefully considered.
"However, it is likely that we will continue to rely on building safety, good planning, training and methods of evacuation to mitigate risks to patients and staff."
The hospital's systems of emergency response had been "significantly strengthened", she said.
"We will continue to build on this."
