Improving the state of hospitals is a government priority, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said in a statement.
"Problems with leaky buildings, including rot and mould in the walls, and earthquake-prone facilities are all symptoms of years of neglect and underinvestment," she said.
The first time visiting Middlemore Hospital as Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern was welcomed with a pōwhiri and joined by staff members of the hospital as well as official representatives from both the government and the Counties Manukau DHB.
Making the announcement of $80 million in funding to upgrade and repair the hospital's facilities, she spoke highly of the work done by the staff in the Counties Manukau DHB.
"For all of the coverage that there has been of late around Manukau, there has never been anything wrong with the heart that is here," she said.
Minister of Health David Clark echoed the prime minister's praise of the staff at Middlemore Hospital.
He said Middlemore and Counties Manukau SuperClinic staff are faced with some of the biggest challenges across DHBs.
"Those staff that are working in facilities deserve to be working in quality facilities that are well maintained."
They have to worry about their patients and shouldn't be having to worry about the buildings they work in, he said.
The funding will be put towards four projects in Counties Manukau DHB
- Re-cladding the Kidz First Building, as part of an ongoing phased approach to re-cladding clinical buildings at CMDHB
- Relocating the radiology department from the aging Galbraith building to the Harley Gray building
- Establishing a radiology hub at the Manukau SuperClinic site (currently patients have to be transferred to Middlemore for CT and MRI services)
- Critical infrastructure work at the Manukau SuperClinic including new plant room/substations, IT, medical gases and parking - all needed to support expansion of clinical services in the short to medium term
