The new Dunedin hospital was plunged into crisis late last month when Government ministers said the budget for the project had blown out and changes had to be made.
Gore Health chief executive Karl Metzler said he was worried about the changes from a logistical standpoint.
"All of the South decants there, especially if it’s cardiac stuff, so with an ageing population that’s just going to put overwhelming pressure on Dunedin and we won’t have the beds for it," he said.
Dr Metzler said the current lack of beds was an issue, and that it would greatly impact patients.
"The rural hospitals in the region have probably 100, 120 beds, and that’s not enough.
"It’s not enough now, and it’s not going to be enough if what’s proposed to be built, is built,"
Dr Metzler said healthcare spending might be missing the forest for the trees when it came to spending the big bucks.
"The thing that worries me is the primary care facility system that’s starting to creak and crack.
"We know it costs something like $70 to look after people in primary care, and $2000 a day for a hospital bed.
"It’s pretty obvious where you need to put your efforts and spending," he said.
Investing in the primary care sector would be a way to alleviate the stress on the system, but Dr Metzler said he understood the limits of these community hospitals.
"I do like the concept of community based care, giving communities more say over what they need and what they can offer, reducing the burden.
"I think the rural sector has a huge part to play in that, and can genuinely alleviate pressure off the base hospital,"
"But we all know there’s stuff rural hospitals can and can’t do," he said.
Dr Metzler said he did not want to place the blame on just the current government, as this was a continuing issue.
"This is classic legacy underspending, of iterations of governments, blue and red.
"On the primary community side, there’s a major general practitioner workplace crisis that’s looming.
"On the different side of the coin, we see the Dunedin problem now emerge due to underinvestment over decades," he said.
Dr Metzler said he wondered when New Zealand would take healthcare seriously.
"At what point do we see health as a key pillar of productivity and population wellbeing, and actually invest via our GDP?" he said.
