This follows really constructive meetings here in Dunedin late last month, with Labour Leader Chris Hipkins publicly vowing to build the hospital that was promised pre-election.
Meanwhile, delays to starting on the new inpatient building are costing a whopping $110,000 per day.
The Dunedin Hospital rebuild was a fully costed project, planned and funded under Labour. It had the budget allocated to pay for it and had additional capacity for mental health and MRI facilities. Now, it seems National is content with simply giving the old building a face-lift rather than planning for the future.
It’s clear this government has no time for the South.
National campaigned to support a new $380million medical school in Waikato — a promise responded to by Waikato University’s vice-chancellor Neil Quigley, who emailed Dr Shane Reti last year saying: "The first student intake would be 2027 — a present to you to start your second term in government."
So the government is progressing the business case using existing funds — money from cutting much-needed spending elsewhere — despite official advice warning of serious concerns as to whether Waikato University can afford it.
Creating a new medical school will be inefficient, according to a PWC Report commissioned by Otago and Auckland Universities.
It’s not rocket science to assume these two existing universities could scale up to train hundreds more doctors more quickly and for significantly less cost.
The government continues its cynical approach to governance, cherry-picking winners over official advice and common sense.
The proposed Waikato school would divert critical resources from Otago University, create unhealthy competition for placements and further deepen the health funding crisis.
So what’s to be gained? Your guess is as good as mine.
Perhaps the bellwether electoral seats in Waikato have something to do with it.
