Decision to delay Grey Hospital rebuild questioned

4 February 2016

Senior doctors want explanation for decision to delay Grey Hospital rebuild

West Coast senior doctors want to know why the Grey Hospital rebuild is being delayed because of a relatively small budget over-run due to previously undetected earthquake vulnerability, says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

“The decision to put this long-awaited and much-needed project on hold is incomprehensible,” he says. “Senior doctors are rightly suspicious of the reasons behind the decisions, given the fraught history of the project, and fear for future progress.”

Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn has expressed disappointment “to say the least” with the decision (http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/health/76520643/greymouth-hospital-delay-another-bad-news-story-for-the-west-coast--mayor), and Mr Powell says the Mayor is right to feel wary.

“Senior doctors and other health professionals, along with many other local people, have worked very hard to get this rebuild underway and our fear now is that this is a roundabout last-ditch effort to scupper the project,” he says.

“The amount of money involved in the budget over-run is small in terms of the overall cost of the project and the importance of this rebuild to the local community. In fact, the delay is likely to lead to increased costs.

This decision has been forced from above on the West Coast District Health Board. Senior doctors on the Coast appreciate the difficult position the Board has been put in.

“The Government needs to explain why this decision has been taken and assure West Coast communities that it is still committed to this important rebuild. We understand some buildings at the current hospital site have a poor earthquake rating so the last thing people need is any delay in getting better, safer hospital facilities in order to have better, safer patient care.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media