One of the two neurosurgeons offered appointments by the Southern District Health Board is expected to arrive from Sweden in the first quarter of 2011, chief medical officer Richard Bunton (Otago) says.
He is Magnus Olivecrona (51), who has been a consultant for 17 years, mostly in Sweden.
Mr Bunton said registration processes for Mr Olivecrona were well advanced but not yet completed.
The process for the second neurosurgeon keen to take up Southern's offer was not so far advanced, he said.
Mr Bunton declined to name the second consultant, a German neurosurgeon, at this stage.
The men were offered appointments by chief executive Brian Rousseau in June.
Mr Bunton said any appointments would have to be approved by the recently announced governance board for the South Island neurosurgery service, but the Southern board had made commitments to the two men.
The situation will be discussed with governance board head Prof Andrew Kaye, of Melbourne, when he visits Dunedin on Tuesday.
Mr Bunton said since the governance board would not meet until next year, the Southern board had to discuss how the unit would work in the meantime.
The board still had to provide neurosurgery in Dunedin.
The unit is staffed by two long-term locums.
It was hoped they would be able to continue until the new appointments were made.
Mr Bunton said some preliminary discussions had been held with the university about Mr Olivecrona.
According to the report of the expert panel on the future of southern neurosurgery, the Southern board will continue to be the employer of neurosurgeons, although such appointments must be approved by the governance board.
Mr Bunton said he did not expect this to create difficulties, although having "multilayered approval processes can take a little time".
Mr Bunton said the future of the neurosurgery service looked "pretty promising" and was a better outcome than expected and there had been a "step up" in clinical staff's morale as a result of the announcement.
Prof Kaye and interim board manager Joy Farley will also have discussions with the University of Otago on their visit.
The full membership of the governance board is yet to be announced.
