COPYRIGHT - ALLIED MEDIAThe new Dunedin hospital outpatient building looking south to the inpatient building site. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery After a long wait, the new Dunedin hospital’s outpatient building is almost complete. Spanning five storeys and about 15,000sq m, the building will bring together outpatient clinics, day procedures and radiology services, including MRI, CT, X-ray and ultrasound. Together with the inpatient building, it will deliver a modern healthcare facility for the people of Otago and Southland for decades to come. The inpatient building is expected to open in 2031. The entire project is expected to cost close to $2 billion. A project of this size and cost will always bring up some staggering numbers, and the new outpatient building includes capacity for: About 1700 additional day surgical procedures each year; More than 13,000 additional medical imaging appointments each year; About 2700 additional medical day-stay appointments each year. An extra 41.5 fulltime equivalent roles are being recruited to support the first phase of operations for the new facility. COPYRIGHT - ALLIED MEDIAThe new Dunedin hospital inpatient building site looking north to the outpatient building and existing Dunedin Hospital. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery “The state-of-the-art, patient-first facility will support better flow, clearer navigation and modern clinical spaces that enable safer and more efficient care,” a Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora spokesperson said. “It will help patients move through the hospital more easily and get timely access to tests and treatment through technology like digital wayfinding, self-check-in kiosks, information displays, and Wi-Fi connectivity." Work was under way to commission the building, install equipment, train staff and ensure every service was ready to safely welcome patients when the facility opened. “The date of opening and other key information for the community will be widely shared well ahead of the facility opening for patient care.”
