A new private hospital plan
QUEENSTOWN developer Alistair Porter appears determined to build a private hospital in the town, with or without outside investment from medical industry players such as Southern Cross.
There is always a determination about Mr Porter when he embarks on a project and this one feels close to his heart.
More details were revealed by the Otago Daily Times yesterday about his plans and they are worth considering when his achievements are reviewed.
The Remarkables Park development is a case in point. Residential, commercial and retail developments are not easy to blend, particularly in a hightraffic town like Queenstown.
Pressures on space are always a major concern. Developers have come and gone in Queenstown and Frankton over the years, some leaving big holes in the ground. Mr Porter and his team have turned the failure of others into success.
Originally, Mr Porter proposed having medical facilities established at Remarkables Park. Work was to have started earlier this year. Now, he is proposing a hospital behind Wakatipu High School. Plans will be submitted by the end of the year.
An earlier plan for a private hospital from 10 years ago was put on hold pending the Southern District Health Board review of hospital services in the resort.
During the consultation process for the rebuilding of the Dunedin Hospital, rural mayors favoured less being spent in Dunedin and some of the money being diverted to improved facilities in Central Otago or the Queenstown Lakes District. The argument was never going to gain traction with such a Dunedincentric deciding panel and the need for the best regional facilities being kept in one place.
However, Mr Porter may hold the key to improved facilities in Queenstown, just because he seems to have access to the funding needed to build a private hospital, without the need to go to the public purse.
Importantly, there is a staff component included in Mr Porter’s plans. The lack of staff accommodation has held back the development in Queenstown and many have to live as far away as Cromwell, Kingston and beyond to find reasonablypriced housing. Nurses and visiting specialists will have accommodation right on site.
The Government is unlikely to want the establishment of a private hospital in the region, believing health should be free and accessible to all. But with the ability of public facilities to perform elective surgery severely curtailed at times, the use of private hospital surgery units has been undertaken.
People with the financial ability to do so pay medical insurance so they can be assured of receiving timely treatment. That takes the pressure off public facilities although, to be fair, the same surgeons and other support staff often perform the operations in both public and private units.
A retirement village ins planned alongside the medical facilities. This is an important development, as New Zealand’s resthome industry is one of the fastest growing in the country. Listed developers like Ryman Healthcare and Summerset will be considering their options for local holdings, even as they look to Australia for growth opportunities. Retiring to Queenstown is a lifestyle choice and having a continuum of care is an important consideration when people make their decisions.
If there is a concern, it is the doubt about which provider will be involved in running the private hospital. Other tenants and specialist healthcare providers seem on board. The wide experience Mr Porter has in these types of developments shows he has the ability to attract smart operators to his cause and it is important he does so this time.
This newspaper understands there is a growing wave of support for the hospital and resthome plans. Support from the region’s leaders and the public is important. Health Minister David Clark has not yet had his say on the matter but a publicprivate partnership is unlikely to be proposed by the minister.
It is hoped the projects do not become a political football to be kicked around by central and local government politicians.
Mr Porter’s plans can only add value to a region straining to grow but limited by geography and ratepayer base.