Private hospital project literally a joint venture
A team of orthopaedic surgeons and Southern Cross Hospitals have signed a joint venture to build an $8 million day-stay hospital in Milford on Auckland’s North Shore.
The North Shore has New Zealand’s fastest growing population, and one that is also ageing.
With joint problems common among those over 50 years old, residents will have less distance to attend the care centre, orthopaedic surgeon Tony Danesh-Clough said.
Construction of the three-storey building that will house the North Shore Surgical Centre will start this month, and is expected to be completed by mid-2019.
The joint-venture hospital will have three operating theatres run by up to 30 staff members.
Another medical facility is planned for the first level and a cafe will be on the ground floor.
The day-stay hospital will focus on keyhole orthopaedic operations, using state-of-the art equipment, Danesh-Clough said.
‘‘It will offer patients high quality care, while minimising wait times and getting them back on their feet more quickly.’’
Southern Cross Hospitals chief operating officer Tau Loon Ho said the centre showed the organisation’s commitment to the North Shore community. It would offer surgery to hundreds of people a year and complement services at the North Harbour campus.
Veteran property developers Steve Walsh and John Duffin of Aspec Properties are managing the project, which has been designed by architecture firm Peddle Thorp.
The building, located across the road from North Shore Hospital, will mirror the design of the adjacent TRG Imaging building, which received an ‘‘excellence’’ in the health and medical property category at the Property Council’s 2016 awards.
Duffin said Aspec had developed the TRG Imaging building, which it will retain as an investment. It will do the same with the new development.
The fitout will cost $7.5 million, on top of the build cost of $8m. The floor space will be 1750 square metres, with 880sqm allocated to North Shore Surgical Centre along with 17 of the 35 car parks.
Southern Cross Hospitals is the largest network of private surgical hospitals in New Zealand, with 10 hospitals and another nine jointventure medical facilities.
Last year it provided elective surgery, diagnostics and cancer treatment to 76,000 patients including insurance-funded, ACC, district health board and self-paying patients. Nearly 1000 surgeons and anaesthetists have credentials to practice within its facilities.