The end may be in sight to the long-running funding dispute between Southern District Health Board and Waitaki District Health Services.
WDHS chairman George Berry said Southern District Health Board had offered a contract which did not contain the 5% funding cut the trust and local community has vociferously opposed.
''The SDHB has come up with a proposal that would avoid the need for the cut in our particular case.''
The trust board had accepted the two-year offer, but with ''qualifications'' that Mr Berry was not able to discuss.
It is yet to be accepted or rejected by the health board.
Earlier this year, the health board sparked a public outcry when it tried to cut 5% from the budgets of rural hospitals.
Waitaki is the last of five rural hospitals with an unsigned 2015-16 contract. In July, about 2500 people marched in Oamaru in protest over the cuts.
Ministry of Health advice to Health Minister Dr Jonathan Coleman released this week under the Official Information Act says ''favourable treatment'' of Oamaru could be seen as unfair by the health trusts that ''helped the DHB by agreeing reduced contract revenue''.
Mr Berry rejected that concern yesterday, saying the trust was dealing with a funding cut in real terms, as the health board had not been passing on funding increases.
