Multi Million-Dollar Upgrade.. Waste of Resources.

At a time when the government is to reign in unnecessary health spending, and instead refocuse its resources on more efficient healthcare services. The Taranaki District Health Board is to continue with a multi million-dollar upgrade of Taranaki Base Hospital. Nick Boheimer TDHB advisory committee member also questioned whether going ahead with the Ist stage of a 3 stage multi million-dollar upgrade called "Project Maunga" was the best use of funds while the board struggled with a projected deficit of $2.95 million. A joint project with the University of Auckland “Project Splice” has also told the TDHB that a predicted fall in Taranaki's population by 8 per cent from 2001 to 2021 when the national population will grow by 17 per cent. Will lead to a reduction in health funding of existing services in Taranaki not increase them. Making the multi million-dollar upgrades redundant. Future regional hospitals in general need to be smaller more boutique specialised hosipitals with services that are more flexible to better suit the smaller regions needs. Not large uncompromising monstrosities that are costly and enfficent to run.

Rusty Kane

Taranaki Base a Dinosaur

The $145 multi- million upgrade for Taranaki Base to keep services in Taranaki and to prevent transferring patients to larger cities such as Auckland, Waikato and Wellington. Most of which is going into more bricks and mortar and administration than it is into actual health care. Someone in Wellington has missed the point, we need the money yes, but we here in Taranaki should decide on where that money is needed and spent to its best effect to meet our districts health needs. Politics and Wellington has no place in local health. When they spend that money on buildings and new operating thearters when locally those in the outlining rural areas of Taranaki cant get services, and there is no professional hospital staff to fill the new Hospitals facilities. This seems such a backward step in delivering health services. When ex-Hospital board member and forward thinker Dr Tom Mulholland said we should instead have smaller more boutique specialized hospitals and services that are more flexible and fit in with tomorrows health needs. Modern wellness clinics not large inefficient dinosaurs like the Taranaki Base. That will now be an even bigger dinosaur than it was before.

Rusty Kane NP
New Zealand