South hospital improvements on hold

AS a former elected Health Board member I was pleased that we had approved a number of structural developments to improve the delivery of patient care in Dunedin and Southland.

In Dunedin an 18cubicle Medical Assessment Unit adjacent to ED and a relocation and upgrade of the Central Sterilising Unit were viewed as essential.

In Southland an upgrade and expansion of the ED including isolation rooms to help manage Covid patients and the construction of an additional (fifth) operating theatre.

Clinical staff are now aware that these four initiatives, as well as other capital purchases, have been put on indefinite hold.

I am not sure whether the decision to defer capital expenditure in Te Whatu Ora — Southern lies with HNZ or the ministry or the district or regional executive.

What I am sure of is that capital improvements are essential on both hospital sites, matched with investment in staff, to improve patient care.

It is now common that patients spend more than 24 hours waiting for inpatient beds in the Emergency Department which is unprecedented.

Once projects are rejected in one financial year it can take years to get them back on track.

Dr John Chambers

Dunedin

Dream team

JACK Bezzant, Mike Sabin, Nick Smith, Pansy Wong, Jian Yang, Aaron Gilmour, Andrew Fallon, Todd Barclay, Hamish Walker, Michelle Boag, Paula Bennett, Jamie Lee Ross, Sam Uffindell.

I left a few out for brevity and there will be more since National clearly prizes aggressive, greedy, achievers with little empathy or morality.

You would have to have several screws loose to vote for this party, given the serious challenges New Zealand faces.

Ewan McDougall Broad Bay