Terry Taylor said he had been talking to Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) about the situation with pathology "for nearly two years" and despite the communication, he was "none the wiser" as to whether it was pursuing a separate pathology building, or a "shelled" floor in the new Dunedin hospital inpatients building.
When the Otago Daily Times approached HNZ about the situation, it was redirected to a spokesman, who said: "We don’t have any further updates on this since our response sent to you on July 22. Work is under way on the best solution for pathology, which is an essential service for the new hospital."
Mr Taylor said the lack of a detailed response was not good enough.
"Currently, our laboratory services for the greater Dunedin region are spread over three sites, including the rapidly deteriorating clinical services building, which is a far from ideal situation that causes a multitude of obvious inherent issues.
"To have a stand-alone laboratory with all of our needed diagnostic pathology on one site is not something that should be a wish-to-have, it is a must-to-have to support a large regional hospital."
Mr Taylor said there had been no recent discussion or correspondence with the professional leadership from either government, HNZ or the health infrastructure teams about the pathology situation.
"It is simply not worth thinking about being the first major public hospital that doesn’t have on-site diagnostic services.
"It still pains me, but doesn’t surprise me, that this vital aspect of healthcare was omitted in the first place but to see the ongoing uncertainty is completely nuts."
There was a risk there could be the "bedlam" of "moving samples up SH1 at all times of day and night while trying to maintain communication and clinical support" if no on-site diagnostic laboratory was in the $1.88 billion new Dunedin hospital.
"Our professional leadership will continue to lobby until a commitment to a pathology laboratory within the hospital rebuild is made, and we will obviously ensure the appropriate expertise is involved in the design and operational set-up of the new facility."
It made "total sense" to use the current "shell" on the sixth floor of the planned inpatients building to be used to provide the 3500sq m-4000sq m needed for the pathology laboratory.
"It has become clear that a standalone pathology building is not on the current agenda, but a decision needs to come soon, as the clock is ticking."
The new Dunedin hospital has had a troubled history, including a period where all activity was shut down between September last year and January this year, as the government deliberated about whether to retrofit the existing Dunedin hospital, or pursue a scaled-down version of the inpatients building.
The government chose the latter option in January, but did not confirm the pathology provision.
Construction of the inpatients building resumed in July. It is expected to be finished in 2031.
