|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Port Waikato MP Andrew Bayly says he welcomes progress on a new South Auckland hospital, but believes Pukekohe Hospital should be given stronger consideration as the site.
Health Minister Simeon Brown announced on October 10 that Health New Zealand (HNZ) is calling for expressions of interest from landowners for a suitable site for the new hospital.
He said it marked “a major milestone in expanding health infrastructure to meet the needs of Auckland’s growing population.”
“South Auckland is one of our fastest-growing communities, with significant health challenges,” Brown said.
“A new hospital in the south will help ensure Kiwis get timely, quality healthcare.”
He said the chosen site will need easy access to key transport routes, including State Highway 1 and Waihoehoe Road, to support patients, staff, and visitors in getting to the new hospital.
Bayly told the Franklin Times he has been engaging with Health NZ and its predecessor agencies for several years about the need for a new hospital to serve the Franklin area.
“I had advocated that Pukekohe Hospital should be the site given there is substantial land available, but the view of HNZ is that it should be located alongside the motorway and the railway line,” he said.
Bayly said he understood the hospital would initially focus on acute services but stressed the need for a full range of facilities to match Franklin’s rapid growth.
“The Franklin Local Board estimates the population could reach 168,200 people by 2048, with over 20 per cent aged 65 plus,” he said.
“It is important that this growing population will have access to the services they need, including aged, respite and palliative care.”
He noted that additional services are already being offered through Pukekohe Hospital, including non-oncology infusions and specialist outpatient clinics, reducing the need for local residents to travel to Middlemore or Manukau.
Pukekohe Hospital currently has 20 beds, 15 of which are dedicated to Assessment Treatment and Rehabilitation. The balance of the beds is used for palliative and interim care. The Primary Birthing Unit features two birthing rooms and eight beds.
“The current trend is toward providing as much hospital-level care in the home as possible,” Bayly said.
“Some people will require bed service, others will be able to be treated under a different format when medicines and care are to be delivered, and we want to ensure there is adequate supply to meet future growth.”
While Bayly said he has not yet received any community feedback on the proposed Drury location, he welcomed the Government’s move to secure land and get the project underway.
“This project has been on the drawing board for quite some time and it’s good to see a minister that has made the decision to go out and buy some land to start the process.”
