‘Dunedin-centric' health services decried
A National Party MP has suggested transferring 100 mental health workers from Dunedin to Central Otago to address a lack of services in the regions.
Waitaki MP Miles Anderson also suggested too much was being spent on the new Dunedin hospital project and some of that money should have been directed at the growing Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes districts.
He was speaking after Associate Health Minister and Minister for Mental Health Matt Doocey faced tough questions from residents during a visit to Wānaka as part of a rural health roadshow two weeks ago.
Mr Anderson, speaking while visiting Wānaka which is part of the Waitaki electorate, acknowledged the town lacked good mental health facilities.
He said there were inequities between the resources in Dunedin and the rest of the region.
"Those employed in the mental health side of things — Dunedin has 300-plus staff, and only another 100 are spread throughout the entire Otago/Southland area, so Wānaka have very few.
"So, for it to be equitable, 100 need to be taken out of Dunedin and put into other areas."
He also said the significant resources going into the $1.88 billion new Dunedin hospital project should have been shared more widely across the region.
"There is always going to be a need for a Dunedin hospital.
"When they planned the Dunedin hospital they didn't give much thought to the outlying areas of North Otago and Central Otago. It has been Dunedin-centric."
"The Dunedin hospital makes sense with the med school and specialists, but if they thought about it, did it really need to be as big?
"They could have put a hospital somewhere central with services."
Mr Anderson said the government was aware of the inequities, including the fact 70% of those in New Zealand who lived more than two hours from a hospital with specialist care were living in the Upper Clutha-Central Otago area.
A recent report by health advocacy group Health Action Wānaka highlighted these deficiencies and pointed out additional barriers such as high travel costs for residents needing healthcare elsewhere in the region.
The government has responded by asking Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora for a strategic plan by December.
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