New Zealand commits US$59m to district hospital upgrade
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
New Zealand has committed NZ$80m (US$59m) to upgrade one of its key district hospitals, the Taranaki Base Hospital (TBH) in New Plymouth. The five-year programme that is due to begin in “late 2009” will take place in three stages, the first of which will include the building of two new surgical theatres (finally the facility will have six new theatres) and a new inpatient block to increase the number of patients that can be treated. The first phase will also include the development of ambulatory services. The government will provide NZ$43m, with the Taranaki District Health Board providing the balance funds. The TBH is the main hospital of two that serve the district and boasts “some of the most modern facilities in the country”. It includes a renal unit (dialysis, haemodialysis and training in home dialysis) and a cardiology suite (diagnostics only). Acute care patients for either of these areas must travel to Auckland for specialist intensive care facilities in these fields.