Wildlife vet Lisa Argilla and wildlife vet nurse Angelina Martelli will arrive in Dunedin from Wellington on Saturday and set up the facility when it begins operating the following week.
Co-chairman Andy Cunningham said its opening would be "very low-key''.
"There won't be a big splash. They'll be setting things up, as they know where everything should go.''
Eventually, he expected the facility to be busy, he said.
"There will be a lot of kereru. It's an interesting sweepstakes, but it seems likely the first patient will be a kereru or yellow-eyed penguin.''
The hospital made more than $54,000 through a fundraising campaign but would need this to continue, he said.
"That is very good; we're very pleased. It's probably a little bit more than we expected in that short period of time.''
The hospital so far had equipment including a digital X-ray, a lead analyser and a biochemical analyser, but the board had eyes on other gadgets such as oxygen concentrators and an endoscopy system.
The hospital would treat a range of animals, many of which would be native birds.
Seals and sea lions could also be treated but this would have to be done on-site, Mr Cunningham said.
The hospital would be an "incredible'' opportunity for Otago Polytechnic veterinary students, who would be greatly involved, he said.
Volunteer co-ordinator Lauren McIntyre said 30 volunteers applied and about 10 were identified to be a good fit.
How many were needed was "anyone's guess'', she said.
"Everyone will have very different schedules and we don't know how it's going to look at the moment.''
Dr Argilla ran temporary versions of the wildlife hospital in 2015 and 2016, but it will now become a permanent operation, open seven days a week.
