Mr Cadogan said, in a farewell social media post, Central Otago needed its own hospital, a stand he had taken over the past couple of years.
The hospital ambulance, used as a promotion by the Dunedin City Council to fight any cutbacks to the new Dunedin hospital, would be coming to Central Otago over the next few weeks to drum up support, but the inland Otago area needed its own hospital, Mr Cadogan said.
Hospitals at Clyde and Frankton did a good job but a bigger and better hospital was needed in the area, he said.
Incredibly minor hospital procedures had to be done at Dunedin and that led to a long journey to Dunedin, and many people were forced to stay the night.
"We have our own needs here in Central Otago. Dunedin has their needs, but part of that hospital push is us continuing to go down there. Do not think for a minute you can have a dollar each way on this. Because you can’t," Mr Cadogan said.
"I’m sorry, but if you are for signing up for Dunedin hospital, you are signing up to sending our people down to Dunedin for the next 30 to 40 years. If you comfortable with doing that then do it. But I’m not."
When contacted yesterday, Mr Cadogan said he totally understood what Dunedin wanted but there was a significant need in Central Otago.
There was always going to be a need for people to go to Dunedin for some procedures but Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes had growing populations, increasing at a rate well ahead of Dunedin.
He could not predict what would ultimately happen in the future to hospitals in the South, he said.
Mr Cadogan is finishing as mayor tomorrow, celebrating Olympic gold medallist paddler Finn Butcher in a ceremony in Alexandra.
He is moving to Wellington to take up a job as a local government engagement specialist at the water services authority Taumata Arowai.
In his social media post, he also poured scorn on the planned Tarras Airport, which has been paused by its developer, Christchurch International Airport.
There was just no need to have another international airport in the South as there were already airports in Dunedin, Invercargill and Queenstown, Mr Cadogan said.
All it would lead to would be people arriving in planes and then leaving Central Otago to visit Queenstown, Wanaka and Milford Sound.
He envisaged large hotels being built to house people arriving and departing the airport and spending little time in Central Otago.
Mr Cadogan also talked about the Covid-19 pandemic and being told by authorities to go and secure a cool store as there would not be enough room in the council morgue for all the bodies.
Through the great community, and something of a miracle, the district had not lost anyone during lockdown.
The next mayor will be elected at a council meeting next Wednesday.
