The generators were ordered in July and construction is under way on generator components and associated controls. It is expected the installation will begin in December and be commissioned by March next year.
An Otago Daily Times perusal of information on the matter shows the Ministry of Health and National Health Board have been kept up to date on the progress on the matter since funding for it was announced by Health Minister Tony Ryall last June as part of the $24.38 million for Dunedin and Wakari hospitals.
Before the NHB team's report, there does not appear to have been national concern about the pace of progress on the matter.
In its highly critical report of Dunedin Hospital systems released a week ago, the NHB team referred to the issue of the emergency power stand-by generator and its inability to cope with any greater load.
It noted this was a longstanding issue identified on the risk register since April 2009.
It described the consequence of not having the ability to add appropriate machinery or power during surgery was a safety risk to patients and clinicians. In its recommendations it called for fast-tracking "the resolution to the back-up generator issue" by September with the solution implemented by November.
Southern District Health Board finance and funding general manager Robert Mackway-Jones indicated he was surprised it had been highlighted in the report, describing it was "a bit of a non event".
The project was under way and the risk was being managed in the meantime.
As the board is under intensive monitoring because of its financial position, regular information on its risks, which would include the generator, is provided to the ministry and the NHB.
To questions about awareness of the risk and why concerns did not appear to have been raised previously, the leader of the team which reviewed the hospital, Jill Lane, said it was the district health board's "responsibility to replace its generator and the lack of progress on this replacement is the type of issue which led to the assessment taking place".
