The board was there to outline its draft southern strategic health services plan 2015-25 and get feedback from the community, as well as to encourage submissions before they close on November 21 so a final plan can go for approval in February.
It is the first long-term health plan produced for the combined Otago-Southland area since health board amalgamation in 2010 and identifies six priority areas to reduce ongoing deficits and provide as many health services and improvements it can.
One priority proposes providing more health care at a local level through general practitioners and rural hospitals.
That was generally supported by the Oamaru meeting, although there were some questions about how that could be achieved.
Waitaki District Health Services Ltd chairman George Berry said the company, which delivers health services for the Waitaki district and operates Oamaru Hospital, generally approved the thrust of the draft plan.
However, the details still needed to be worked through, he said.
Other issues that were raised covered individual dealings with health services, such as having to go to Dunedin for eye photographs for people with diabetes, delays in getting results from tests and having to attend specialist clinics in Dunedin.
Those sorts of issues would be dealt with further down the line from the strategic plan, which is a high-level document at the start of a process, although much time was taken up by the board with explanations.
Others issues raised were population-based funding and its effect on Otago with its small population but huge geographic area, and how much Oamaru Hospital was being paid for providing beds and other services.
