Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall was in Dunedin today where she announced the return of an MRI scanner, previously planned to be shelled and potentially added later, and the return of a collaborative space for clinicians to work in.
Additionally, Dr Verrall said there would be no further redesign of the hospital.
Two highly criticised aspects of the latest redesign — the removal of psychogeriatric beds and reduced space for pathology — would be the subject of investigations in the coming months, she said.
Dr Verrall thanked the new Dunedin Hospital’s clinical transformation group -- a group of clinicians involved in the project -- and said the changes addressed concerns they had raised.
Members of the group have previously told the Otago Daily Times while they were largely happy with the design change, they were concerned about the amount of collaborative workspace being shelled and the loss of an MRI scanner.
Dr Verrall said the decision to reverse the cuts was something she had been considering since her first visit to Dunedin as Health Minister in February, on day two of the job.
Earlier, in December, the Government announced $110 million in additional funding for the project to address a $200 million budget blowout.
The remaining $90 million was to have been saved by design changes.
Dr Verrall said the now $1.68billion hospital compared to $6billion in capital spending on health by the Government since 2017.
"I really want to congratulate the clinical transformation group," she said.
"They had held those clinical outcomes in the front of their minds throughout this entire process.
"From my point of view, I hope today is evidence that the government is focused on the clinical services."
