Health New Zealand is being forced to throw money at keeping Dunedin’s ageing hospital running because of years of delay in building the new one, a commentator says. A tender document obtained by the Otago Daily Times revealed 10 hospital lifts, built in the mid-1980s and last upgraded in 2003, need to be upgraded again or face two-to-six month delays should they malfunction. SuppliedHospital lifts The technology used in the lifts was so old that finding replacements parts when there were faults was becoming difficult, the document said. “The frequency of these faults aligns with the age of the lifts. Since their installation, there have been significant advancements in technology, along with evolving operational demands within the hospital. “Users have reported various concerns regarding the existing system, which will be considered for enhancements during the lift modernisation process.” The tender document outlined a raft of issues, including the fact the current elevator monitoring system has not been upgraded and did not work, the independent control system was not functioning properly and the damage to the doors posed a contamination risk. “Along with the preliminary design and costing, the respondent shall be required to provide an overview of the programme and methodology to modernise the lifts taking into consideration of both health and safety and infection prevention and control.” SuppliedHospital lifts The tender document is asking for those interested to submit their proposals by the end of October, with a view for construction to start in early 2027 and finish about a year later. The end date for the lift project is after the original scheduled opening date for the new Dunedin hospital inpatient building of April 2028. After years of delay, the inpatient building is now due to open in 2031. Last year, the ODT revealed HNZ had set aside more than $23.6 million to “keep the lights on” at the existing hospital while transition measures were made as the new hospital was being built. Health commentator Prof Robin Gauld said the project was part of the cost of years of delay to the new Dunedin hospital project. “It’s pretty unfortunate that the delay has led to this now new cost having to be borne by someone. Upgrading lifts, I can’t imagine, comes cheaply.” Prof Gauld, who was previously on the Southern District Health Board and is now executive dean of Bond Business School, said he would like to know how much the project would cost, which Health New Zealand has yet to reveal. “I can’t imagine that anyone would be happy about this situation, especially not taxpayers.’’ Recently, the new Dunedin hospital project had its Treasury “risk rating” downgraded from “red” to “amber”, but Prof Gauld said the delays had obviously affected the existing Dunedin hospital. It could cost “millions of dollars” to upgrade the lifts, he said. “It’s money that could be spent on actual hospital functions such as hip or knee replacements.” HNZ Te Waipounamu regional head of infrastructure Rob Ojala said the lift upgrade related to the existing ward block, where the current lifts are approaching the end of their operational life and needed to be replaced. He would not detail the project’s budget, saying it was commercially sensitive.
