Last week, Rangitata MP James Meager and Waitaki MP Miles Anderson announced the proposal to transfer clinical leadership authority from Timaru Hospital to the Dunedin-based Southern Health had been shelved.
Former orthopaedic surgeon and South Canterbury District Health Board member Peter Binns said while he was pleased with the decision, it could still only be the start.
"I think we have to be pretty cautious. There are all sorts of plans this government seems to have and it’s not just in the health sector, as we know. We have to be quite vigilant.
"They’ve made several hundred people redundant at the ministry. Dunedin’s still struggling to kind of get full funding for their hospital, so I’m not at all reassured.
"It’s a good thing that these posts remain locally. It’s important for the place, it’s worked well over the years. It’s a good-sized hospital and, in fact, it could do with being a little bit bigger."
Mr Binns said he was keen on forming a group to keep an eye on any further proposed health sector changes.
"I mentioned it to Nigel Bowen the other day, because if the council could provide a sort of secretarial backup for such a thing it would be very useful.
"It could probably endure better than it would if it was just a kind of casual get-together because I don’t think we’ve seen the end of this at all."
He said it was great to see the community concerned for their hospital.
"I think it took someone like Peter Doran, who spoke very well as a member of the senior staff, to help people understand the significance of what this would have meant because the disestablishment of three posts at the hospital doesn’t sound very drastic.
"The potential for it to be the first cut of many was definitely there."
He was not all too sure how the decision to halt the proposal was reached.
"The two MPs claim to have been very influential, don’t they?
"That could have been the main factor, I suppose.
"I don’t have any knowledge of what happens in the halls of power."
He hoped Timaru Hospital would receive more funding in the future.
"I’d like to see the Timaru Hospital recognised for what it is and how it actually has helped Christchurch and Dunedin over the years with waiting lists, and how people from Ashburton and Oamaru have had their surgery carried out here.
"That kind of service could be enhanced and grown somewhat. I’d like to see actually more funding here, more staff and so on, but that applies to health services as a whole."
In a joint statement about the decision, Rangitata MP James Meager said it was absolutely the right decision for Timaru and South Canterbury.
"Our local healthcare services have consistently demonstrated excellence in delivery, and maintaining our independent clinical leadership structure will ensure we can continue to provide outstanding care to our community.
"Our community benefits from having clinical leaders who understand our unique local challenges and can respond quickly to our needs."
Waitaki MP Miles Anderson said that the decision recognised the unique needs of the South Canterbury region.
"Our existing model works extremely well, with strong clinical pathways and relationships with Canterbury.
"This decision ensures we can maintain these vital connections and continue delivering high-quality healthcare services to our communities.
"This outcome ensures we can build on our strengths, rather than disrupting a system that’s working well for our community."
