The march will be held on Saturday, September 28, beginning at noon outside the University of Otago Faculty of Dentistry (dental school), and will be led by Mayor Jules Radich, councillors and clinicians.
It comes after the Otago Daily Times revealed Health New Zealand Te Whatu Ora (HNZ) was considering a host of cuts to the new hospital’s planned inpatient building, and contradictory remarks from Health Minister Dr Shane Reti about the future of the build.
The protest will travel down George St to the Octagon by 1pm, where Mr Radich and other speakers will address the crowd.
"Hospital cuts hurt everybody, not just the people of Dunedin, and we need as many people as possible to join us on this march and head off any clinical cuts to the new Dunedin hospital project," Mr Radich said.
He was particularly concerned about HNZ commissioner Lester Levy’s recent comments that "everything was under review" in regards to the hospital and the health system in general.
"We’ve got to leave Lester Levy shaking in his boots.
"We’ve got to go above him. My experience is that politicians bow to political pressure.
"If Dr Shane Reti sees how serious Dunedin people are, he will ask Dr Levy to change his tune."
Other Southern mayors welcomed the campaign.
Waitaki Mayor Gary Kircher gave it his full support.
"Waitaki shares with [Dunedin] several key concerns that would result from cuts to proposed clinical services."
The rest of the region had local health services that were "critical to our communities and they will form a part of that overall healthcare".
"But when our people need care that is only available at the new Dunedin hospital, we need capacity there. Rural communities already suffer a 21% greater risk of mortality compared to urban communities with tertiary hospitals. We support the government fixing that terrible statistic, not making it worse."
Gore District Mayor Ben Bell said the new Dunedin hospital’s services and facilities were created after years of specialist consultation and analysis, taking into consideration the needs of the wider region.
"I believe that it is vital not only to [the] city of Dunedin, but to the lower South Island that the new Dunedin hospital is built without clinical cuts.
"Build it once and build it right."
Clutha District Mayor Bryan Cadogan said there was "nothing like a ride in the rescue helicopter to crystallise your awareness that we are talking about our regional hospital".
Any reaction to potential cuts had to move to a cohesive lower South Island response, he said.
The action comes after reports HNZ is considering making cuts to the new hospital’s inpatient building.
The cuts being looked at by HNZ include the "shelling" of an 11-bed "short stay" pod in the emergency department and instead incorporating these beds in acute wards.
The organisation is also looking at downgrading operating theatres, by having only one with specialist-grade ventilation instead of two, removing wall-mounted medical gas in some theatres and having only one high-spec "hybrid theatre" on opening, instead of two.
Dunedin MP Rachel Brooking said in her public engagements the future of the new Dunedin hospital was the most common topic people raised.
"The Health Minister needs to be absolutely clear, and he needs to deliver what he promised, which was a hospital to the specifications as planned.
"It’s almost unbelievable we are at this point.
"We are no closer to having any certainty about the project."
Taieri MP Ingrid Leary encouraged everyone to join the march.
"Those who live further afield could rally together to share transport and come to Dunedin, as this impacts the whole of the lower South.
"My message to the minister is: don’t get the commissioner to do your dirty work, which is a false economy. Front up, take responsibility, show some leadership and keep your pre-election promises. If you can’t do so, find another job."
The last major campaign for health services in Dunedin was the successful bid to save neurosurgery.
Thousands of protesters turned out for a march through central Dunedin in 2010, fighting to keep neurosurgery in the city, after a proposal to base all six South Island neurosurgeons in Christchurch became public.
