"The project to build the new Dunedin Hospital won’t be affected."
Cabinet sign-off on the detailed business case was weeks, not months, away.
Mr Little said reforms such as scrapping district health boards and replacing them with a national entity would have implications for future hospital builds.
But planning for the Dunedin project was well advanced.
Dunedin list MP Michael Woodhouse said he would feel more reassured if the business case had been signed off and there was a construction start date.
University of Otago health policy senior lecturer Prof Robin Gauld said he was not sure the health system of the future had been adequately considered.
Some people would be treated through virtual technology and robots and this could make some building planning redundant, he said.
Clinical representative for the hospital build Dr John Adams said the needs of patients had been to the fore in developing the project and he hoped this would continue.
Related Stories
Comments
I feel more reassured by the fact that labour has allocated funding , completed intial designs and plans , aquired land , began construction the construction phase by demolishing existing buildings etc and so on than the National partys record where they promised the hospital either 10 years every election since 2008 yet had done exactly nothing the whole time they were in govt - no building plans , no business plans , no aquistions , no allocated funding etc . Just another major project promised that had no actual action let alone funding provisions allocated in budgets be along with things like Chch anchor projects , defense force capital expenditure , other major health , infrastructure projects etc etc .
At least this lot are trying to address infrastructure and services shortages , etc. Sure they don't get everything right but at least they try and don't deny these issues even exist or promise but not even provision funding . And all while dealing with multiple disasters and all without the insurance money and mass immigration that National hid behind to pretend they were good economic managers while refunding essential services