Bleak winter ahead for dunstan hospital services

Bleak winter ahead for dunstan hospital services

“Winter is coming for Dunstan Hospital in central Otago as it faces a $1 million budget shortfall, closure of hospital beds, and staff and service reductions,” says Ian Powell, Executive Director of the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists (ASMS).

“This is a direct consequence of the Southern District Health Board’s short-sighted decision to reduce the hospital’s funding by 5% for the 2015-16 year, and is an unbelievable blow for a rural hospital like Dunstan.”

Central Otago Health Services Limited (COHSL), which runs Dunstan Hospital, says the DHB has confirmed the funding cut and indicated that further measures are likely later in the year. In a media release (http://www.cohsl.co.nz/#!news/c109l), Chair Russell McGeorge says up to half of hospital inpatient beds will have to close and the resulting reduction in service will have a strong impact on local communities.

Mr Powell says the people running Dunstan Hospital have tried to convince the Southern DHB to see sense on the funding issue, without success.

“This is what happens when DHBs contract out rural hospitals and then abrogate their responsibilities for ensuring they are properly funded,” he says. “The cost of providing health services is then shifted – unfairly – onto the community.

“We are very concerned about the impact on all of the dedicated health professionals and other staff who work at Dunstan Hospital, and strongly support the hospital’s efforts to maintain the level of health service that local people need.

“Southern DHB has previously stated that enhancing the role of rural hospitals was critical to the success of their strategic health services plan. Now they have obliterated the plan with the ink on it barely dry.”

A series of community meetings are being held in Alexandra, Cromwell and Lake Wanaka in the next fortnight to discuss the impact of the funding cuts – more information is available at http://www.cohsl.co.nz/#!news/c109l.

ENDS

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