Tony Ryall

The Government's new investment in Health continues with approval of a $65 million redevelopment of Whakatane Hospital, Health Minister Tony Ryall announced while visiting the hospital today.

"This gives the Bay of Plenty District Health Board (DHB) the green light to finalise the design. Site preparations are expected to begin this summer," Mr Ryall said.

"In the short term, it's expected there will be 20 to 30 local jobs created with as many as 80 jobs when the project is at its peak.

"Whakatane Hospital serves 50,000 people over a wide rural area from Cape Runaway to Matata to Ruatahuna. It also provides elective surgery support for Tauranga.

This development helps future proof health infrastructure for a high needs population, and the DHB will be working closely with the local PHO to finalise the design.

"There will be a new Emergency Department with a short stay unit attached that will take pressure off other hospital beds, two brand new theatres and a procedures room which can also be converted to an extra operating theatre.

"The new specialist care units will have a total of 27 beds, inpatient wards will have 66 beds, and there will 26 beds or spaces for surgical services.

"This investment will also address the known earthquake risk. The cost of strengthening the existing high-rise Stanton Block to bring it up to required earthquake standards would be about the same as a new building.

This Government has approved several hospital capital projects, totalling more than $400 million in the last 18 months, including:

Middlemore Hospital Future Growth Stage 1 $208.68m Lakeview Emergency Care Centre at North Shore Hospital $48.65m Dunedin and Wakari Hospital upgrades $24.4m Whangarei Hospital Redevelopment Stage 1 $25.11m Capital & Coast DHB - Equipment and ICT Systems upgrades $37.90m Tauranga Hospital - East Wing development $27m Auckland Hospital car park approx $15m Greenlane surgical centre upgrade estimated $24m