CDHB Response To CCDU Announcements

Canterbury District Health Board chief executive, David Meates is welcoming the new plans for central Christchurch.

“This is just what is needed for the city to start moving ahead again, with some certainty,” Mr Meates says.

“I look forward to further announcements over the coming months about the hospital redevelopment.

CDHB has put forward a revised business case for approval by the Government which is being considered by the national capital investment committee. It is a major component of ensuring a clinically and financially sustainable acute tertiary (specialist) hospital for Canterbury and the South Island.

“I fully support the Health Precinct and love the idea of clustering similar health and businesses together. We are also looking forward to growing innovation in the health system and know that there is a wealth of talent scattered around the city, which will benefit from being co-located. This will also support the recruitment and retention of talented clinicians and health workers who will be part of a precinct that fosters education, research and innovation,” Mr Meates says.

“From a public health perspective, the large inner-city green space with walkways and cycle-ways and the Avon River Precinct is great news. It’s a plan that will make it easy for Cantabrians to be active.”

The welcome return of a convention centre for Christchurch is also positive news for the 16,500 people who work in the Canterbury Health System.

“We have missed having a large space to meet, share and learn,” Mr Meates says.

“CDHB has some very real challenges with more than 200 damaged buildings and 12,000 out of 14,000 CDHB rooms damaged. Our staff, patients and board are very much looking forward to having clarity in the near future on our significant planned building redevelopments at Christchurch Hospital and at Burwood.”

ENDS

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