More than 20 years ago I stood with pad, pencil and camera on hand as I watched fired-up Central Otago residents stand up for a hospital at Dunstan, Clyde. And my how they fought.
Health is so important and we are all responsible for our own and if you live in the catchment area for Dunstan Hospital Clyde you receive the benefit and services of a rural hospital, saved in 2002 when communities rallied to ensure Dunstan Hospital was retained and renewed. If you are one of the many new residents in the district you may not be aware of the hours, and years, it took by dedicated people.
Central Otago Health Services Ltd was formed in 1999 as a community company capable of providing services at Dunstan Hospital. Central Otago Health Inc was a link between the new company and the community. At the same time, business case after business case was prepared for health officials and the management committee was so determined and committed that at one stage the perceived lack of health support was so overwhelming: members resigned en masse.
On December 6, 2002, then-health minister Annette King finally made a flying visit to Dunstan. The management committee waited and so also did the media throng (four) and an hour past the appointed time they all finally arrived. A rockfall in the Kawarau Gorge at the Nevis had delayed their appearance.
The minister toured the hospital and according to the committee chairwoman, the late Bev Clark: "Mrs King left promising that once the business case arrived with all the boxes ticked the money would be available through the Otago District Health Board.
"It had been a long, arduous and at times heart-breaking marathon, but victory for the Central Otago community was finally achieved", Mrs Clark said.
In 2023 when health is a major topic and plans for a new Dunedin hospital seem to be ever changing and its size diminishing, it would be very easy to forget about a classy rural hospital such as Dunstan and its needs for funds from the health vote.
Yes, we need to know the public hospital and its surgeons are there when required and I appreciate my short visit there recently. Central Otago people do use their rural hospital, but Dunstan is a poor relation in the overall system. Specialist clinics in rural areas can so easily be reduced or cancelled to outlying areas such as Dunstan because of either reduced funding or a need to keep within a budget. The hospital website has a list of the various clinics and services available.
I believe that Central Otago residents must be vigilant in supporting the continuous existence of this rural hospital, the funding required, its qualified staff and the management of Dunstan. Locals will tell you that if you are unlucky to have a heart attack make sure you are close to Dunstan Hospital. The expertise is second to none and while you may need to go urgently to a cardiac surgeon, the helicopter flight is lifesaving in comparison to a long road trip by ambulance.
Specialists fly in to Dunstan weekly. The hospital has its own CT scanner, which thanks to the Central Lakes Trust, is immediately available for a visiting surgeon to check that his colonoscopy patient has no hidden adverse issues. Blood tests results are available almost immediately for a patient, because Dunstan has its own laboratory.
Outpatient care is available at Dunstan. The hospital has its own high-dependency unit, where very qualified medical people are on hand. Young doctors in their final years of medical degrees, who apply for training positions, experience practical clinical learning as well as weekly teaching sessions.
I appreciate my recent use of a clinic service, and the efficiency and friendliness of the numerous hospital staff, and would like to emphasise that in this area, where the population numbers keep increasing, that we continue to support this first-class rural hospital.
— Dianne King is a Cromwell writer.
