Althoughthe Otago District Health Board expects to save more than $800,000 by buying equipment in conjunction with Southland, chairman Richard Thomson would like to see more progress on national buying.
At the recent board hospital advisory committee meeting, he said there was increasing impatience among board chairmen over the issue.
Perhaps more progress was being made regionally than nationally, he said.
Before the committee was a report from supply chain regional group manager Keri Yeo which said, since the procurement team was established last November, forecast annualised savings of $1.3 million had been made in Otago and Southland.
Future savings for the region are expected to reach $1.9 million annually.
Most of the forecast savings come from the two boards' purchasing together, but $114,000 of Otago's total is expected from national initiatives ($84,000 for Southland).
Savings areas include vehicle leasing (expected to save Otago $25,770 a year and Southland $63,677), mattresses (Otago $56,695; Southland $17,904), echocardiogram machines (Otago $32,000; Southland $17,000) and tympanic thermometers ($64,350 and $29,250).
Nationally, boards buy about $2 billion in goods and services annually.
Boards have identified procuring goods and services as one of the six priorities in their national plans.
Projects being worked on nationally include insurance, oral health equipment, vehicles, orthopaedic prostheses, wound care, and cardiac stents and related devices.
Most boards now have a contract with BP for fuel.
Otago expects to save $10,000 on its annual fuel bill of $340,000, and Southland $5000 on $205,000.
Future projects are expected to cover items including theatre equipment, major and minor capital purchases, information technology hardware, software and telecommunications and energy.
