The Southern District Health Board has asked the Government for a bailout after running up its second successive $21 million-plus budget deficit.
In its annual report, tabled in Parliament on Tuesday, the SDHB reported a $21.4 million deficit, against a budgeted $14 million loss.
The previous year it recorded a $21.8 million deficit - a sequence of results which prompted chief executive Chris Fleming to say the SDHB was ''a big ship to turn around''.
The May Budget set aside extra money for DHB deficit support if required, and the SDHB has now applied for a share of that funding.
''The Government has received a request for deficit support from the Southern DHB.
''Ministers expect a decision to be announced in early 2019,'' a spokesman for the Minister of Health said.
''The SDHB has indicated it does not require funding support over the Christmas-New Year period.''
In Audit NZ's report, appended to the SDHB's financial statements, it noted the health board was reliant on the Crown to remain a going concern.
Meanwhile, the SDHB is aiming to improve its performance in diabetes management, MRI scanning, elective surgery and access to specialist mental health services.
The SDHB targeted 79% of diabetics to have good or adequate glycaemic control but achieved just 48% - an improvement on last year.
Last year only 32% of MRI scans were performed within 42 days - the target was more than 85%.
Increasing levels of acute demand continued to delay scans, the report said.
The SDHB has extended hours of operation, increased use of CT scanners - especially at rural hospitals - recruited new radiology staff and put a new planning group in place to try to address the issue.
A new measure introduced this year - the percentage of people receiving elective and arranged surgery on day of admission - was intended to achieve 95% but only managed 83%.
Steps taken to improve that included extending hours for operating theatres, adding weekend shifts, outsourcing operations and introducing new planning processes.
That increase in demand was reflected in referrals for non-urgent treatment.
While a target of 80% of patients being seen in under three weeks was set, just 67% was achieved, and a 95% target to be seen in less than eight weeks was met for 84% of people.
While doing well with child immunisation, the flu vaccination proved unpopular: 52% of people over 65 received it, against a target of 75%.
