Christchurch Hospital's already stretched intensive-care unit would struggle to cope with extra patients if all neurosurgery went to Canterbury, clinical leader of Dunedin Hospital's intensive-care unit Mike Hunter says.
The Christchurch unit was doing a good job, but it was acknowledged its bed numbers were barely adequate for the population it was already serving and serious expansion was needed.
The limitations of the Christchurch unit had been drawn to the attention of the expert panel reviewing neurosurgery services in the South Island.
"The panel is aware that we don't think Christchurch has the capacity to take extra neurosurgery patients".
Mr Hunter was commenting on news reports last week that the Christchurch unit was in crisis because it had too many patients.
Demand on the unit was such that some cardiac and other complex surgery had to be cancelled.
The Canterbury District Health Board spent $2.5 million on three extra beds last year and it was reported there would be a further increase in beds in its planned major redevelopment.
Mr Hunter said occasionally Dunedin Hospital helped out by bringing patients from the West Coast or Timaru to Dunedin.
There was a good relationship between the two units.
The expert panel, comprising Anne Kolbe (chairwoman), Glenn McCulloch and David Russell, has completed its meetings and information-gathering and is now compiling its report.
The report, which was originally to have been completed on Friday, is now expected to be in the hands of the Acting Director-general of Health, Andrew Bridgman, on October 29 after the granting of a fortnight's extension.
National Health Board project manager David Graham said the panel was on track to deliver the report on time.
As well as visits to Dunedin, Christchurch and Invercargill panel members had been to Timaru and held a video-conference with Nelson-Marlborough District Health Board representatives.
Before the report is presented to Mr Bridgman, the South Island district health board leaders will have a chance to peruse a confidential draft, checking it for accuracy.
The report will only become public when Mr Bridgman announces his decision.
The terms of reference state he is permitted to seek other advice.
No date for any announcement from Mr Bridgman has yet been made.
Richard Thomson, one of the organisers of the Keep Neurosurgery in Dunedin Facebook site, said he had confidence in the approach adopted by the panel which seemed to have taken its job "extremely seriously" and was looking at the issues very carefully.
The amount of pressure on the issue had helped to ensure a well-qualified panel was appointed and that they were under "significant pressure to do their homework well".
He felt the issue was "getting the attention that it requires".
