They attended the third in a series of public meetings set up by hospital operator Central Otago Health Ltd to put pressure on the Southern District Health Board and head off a proposed 5% cut in funding.
Company general manager Karen Penno told the Wanaka meeting public support seemed to have brought about a change in the health board's thinking.
She told the Otago Daily Times after the meeting health board graphics showing Dunstan had had an ''unfair'' funding increase of 30% over the last few years were presented at the Alexandra and Cromwell meetings, but were absent at last night's Wanaka meeting.
From that she took the inference the health board accepted such things as Dunstan's move into providing CT scanner services should not be viewed as increased funding.
Ms Penno and the company resume negotiations with the health board today. Company chairman Russell McGeorge made the point during his opening remarks last night that the area served by Dunstan Hospital at Clyde had a growing population, including high numbers of people over 65.
In the last three years, the number of Dunstan inpatients had risen by 28% and high dependency and average ward occupancy numbers were up 20%.
In a normal situation, he said, Dunstan would be seeking more funding rather than having to live with cuts suggested by the health board.
Many of the questions from the floor revolved around equity between rural and urban patients.
Examples included the free emergency department care available to Dunedin people at Dunedin Hospital while Upper Clutha patients had to pay general practitioners for emergency care.
There was also comment directed at the cost of having 24/7 specialist cover in Dunedin - one member of the health board even agreeing and raising a chuckle by ''facetiously'' talking of ''left eye doctors and right eye doctors''.
