9. NICKY WAGNER (National) Link to this
to the Minister of Health
What steps has the Government taken to improve outpatient and other health services to the people of Canterbury following the earthquakes?
Hon TONY RYALL (Minister of Health) Link to this
The district health board’s earthquake recovery plan has identified a need to increase short to medium term medical bed capacity, and to relocate most components of the general medical service back on to the Christchurch Hospital site. The Government is announcing this afternoon that we have fast-tracked approval of $15 million in capital funding to relocate the outpatients facility and the acute medical assessment unit. This will enable the district health board to achieve shorter waiting times, to meet the growth in outpatient demand, to improve medical team efficiency, and to improve staff satisfaction and morale. Both of these projects will be completed in time to ensure that the new facilities are available for the 2012 winter peak demand.
What other support has the Government given to the Canterbury District Health Board to manage the impact of the earthquakes?
The staff of the Canterbury District Health Board have simply done an outstanding job of providing good-quality services to the people of their community in the most difficult of times and circumstances. I advise the member that in addition to the $15 million for the new outpatient facility and acute medical assessment unit, in June this year the Government pledged a special payment of up to $16 million to the district health board to assist with earthquake-related service costs for the 2010-11 financial year. This $16 million is in addition to the new funding for buildings and facilities. The Government has also made it clear that further special payments to the district health board over the next couple of years can be expected to cover ongoing extra costs as a result of the earthquake, to help the people of the district health board get the best possible services for the people of Canterbury.