Health facilities getting $2.04 billion capital investment

Health Minister Annette King has announced a substantial capital investment in the public health system.

Ms King said a total of $2.04 billion was being spent by the Crown and District Health Boards over the next four years in public health facilities and debt refinancing. This includes $620 million in new money in this budget, $500 million from existing baselines and the reminder from DHB balance sheets and private debt facilities.

The injection supports significant hospital works programmes including:
- Auckland’s Grafton, Green Lane & National Women’s Hospitals
- Middlemore Hospital
- Waitakere and North Shore Hospitals
- Palmerston North Hospital
- Hawera Hospital
- Hutt Hospital
- Nelson Hospital.

Substantial new health facilities are planned for: Wellington Hospital, Invercargill Hospital and Christchurch Women’s Hospital.

Specific new sector wide initiatives provided for are:
- $5.8 million over three years to deliver improved access to data and higher data standards to support the government’s health strategies, in particular the Primary Health Care Strategy.
- $2 million for intra-operative radiation therapy. This will purchase two machines, which are portable and will help to reduce cancer treatment waiting lists.
- $12 million to support the proposed Intellectual Disability Compulsory Care Act and provide more appropriate services for people with intellectual disabilities.

In addition to the funding for capital projects, the Crown is also providing capital of $420 million over four years to fund DHB deficits, provide debt replacement facilities for DHBs and fund Residential Care Loans.

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