Keep local government out of health

LOCAL government in all forms should only be required for providing various consents for the new hospital.

There is no place for local government and council meddling when public health is an issue.

Any suggestion that the construction may take up to 10 years or three terms of government is ludicrous in the extreme.

Any management persons who have such limited vision and ability must be replaced by a team with pragmatism and independent development and construction expertise.

A new hospital is as common as a new hotel and both are constructed of similar materials on any given site in the world and hardly need years of consultation and design.

The issue is about immediate new construction to ensure provision of modern hospital facilities, not procrastination and remedial work on an ageing goliath in Dunedin.

Dunedin could easily use an existing sports field beside the university and replace the sports field with an innercity park beside the oncology unit after demolition of the existing Dunedin Hospital.

If that is to much for Dunedinites to accept, then Central Otago should be the location of a new hospital that complements the growing Central Otago population and the desirability of living in a worldclass environment, which would be enjoyed by hospital and health professionals.

Central Otago would provide land, consents and construction expertise immediately with adequate utility resources available.

The new Central Otago hospital could be constructed with the budget identified for Dunedin Hospital remedial work.

Future helicopter facilities can be implemented everywhere to engage with Dunedin Hospital when/if required. Basil Walker

Queenstown ...................................