Media release 11 June 2020 | Counties Manukau Health has welcomed the Government’s announcement to provide the DHB with additional funding of $211.4 million to improve facilities, particularly at the Manukau Health Park in Manurewa.
CMDHB Chair, Vui Mark Gosche, says the funding, announced today by the Prime Minister, is for projects which primarily support the development of the Manukau Health Park (including Manukau SuperClinic and Manukau Elective Surgical Centre) as part of CM Health’s site-wide strategy to increase capacity by integrating additional services.
“Growing Manukau Health Park is crucial to our core strategic initiative to separate ambulatory and elective services (planned care) from acute services, and thereby decongest Middlemore Hospital,” he says.
“The $211.4 million allocated today for four new theatres and to establish CT and MRI diagnostics, expand breast and renal services and clinical outpatient spaces such as ophthalmology, is a significant response to current pressures and future growth.
Mr Gosche says the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the tragic events at Whakaari/White Island late last year which have resulted in a significant number of elective surgeries being deferred, are a stark reminder of just how important it is to free up additional beds at Middlemore by investing at the Manukau Health Park.
“While the DHB maintained critical services throughout the response to COVID-19, including the assessment and treatment of cancer patients, Counties Manukau Health also continued with on-going planning to ensure we were well placed to resume more planned care services as soon as possible as we progressed through the alert levels,” says Mr Gosche.
“We are also building on the lessons learned from COVID-19. Expanding new ways of working, including tele-health and virtual appointments, meant we were able to maintain as many of our outpatient services from the Manukau Health Park as possible, but we estimate we now have a large number of surgical cases that need to be rescheduled.
“Having the additional services available in the future will lessen the impact on our community when such events happen. This funding will make an enormous difference to the level and quality of service we provide.”
Mr Gosche also acknowledged the additional $35 million which the Government has approved for recladding at the Manukau Health Park and McIndoe building at Middlemore, and $20 million for core infrastructure work at Middlemore.
Issued by: CM Health Communications
Media Line: 09 250 9857 Email:Communications@middlemore.co.nz