The company that runs Dunstan Hospital is confident it will be able to fund the $800,000 capital cost of a CT scanner based at the hospital without asking the community to "put its hands in its pockets again".
Central Otago Health Services Ltd (COHSL) chairman Russell McGeorge told more than 200 people who attended a meeting at Cromwell last night, held to garner support for Dunstan's case, that he was optimistic of sourcing funds from various charitable trusts.
"We've made a lot of requests to our community over the years and we're reluctant to go back to them if we can get it from other sources. We've already had talks with the Central Lakes Trust, and they've expressed an interest," he said.
A National Health Board panel looking into Wakatipu health services earlier this year told the Southern District Health Board a CT scanner was needed in inland Otago, to serve the Queenstown Lakes and Central Otago area. The panel recommended the scanner be sited at Lakes District Hospital, at Frankton. COHSL has been lobbying for several years for a scanner to be based at Dunstan Hospital.
Last month, the district health board said it would leave the decision on the scanner location to the communities to reach consensus, but a report to the board's meeting in Invercargill tomorrow proposes a different approach.
Board funding and finance general manager Robert Mackway-Jones suggests a panel and terms of reference be set up to review the scanner location.
He recommended the terms of reference include input from the Wakatipu Health Reference Panel and COHSL, with the aim of making a recommendation to the board's June 2012 meeting.
"We're glad they seem to have got away from the community trying to decide, as consensus wouldn't have happened, but we're a bit frustrated by the time frame and the need to involve another panel," Mr McGeorge said.
"We're ready to move and we'd like to have a scanner here in a year's time."
Dunstan had the structures in place to support a CT scanner and it was central to the greater inland region.
It serviced 60% of the Central Otago and Queenstown-Lakes combined population, he said.
Based on total CT scan numbers and the ageing population, Dunstan would generate three times the number of scans compared to the Lakes District Hospital, he said.
Because Dunstan was a privately-owned hospital, it could cater for private patients, giving it flexibility of funding.
The capital cost of the equipment would vary depending on the capabilities of the scanner selected, but it was expected to cost close to $800,000. The annual operating costs would be under $400,000.
Those at the meeting filled in a questionnaire to indicate their support for the project.
Similar meetings will be held at Alexandra tonight and Wanaka tomorrow.
