First stage of $83m Rotorua Hospital revamp opens

Health Minister Tony Ryall is today opening a new three level building at Rotorua Hospital marking the completion of stage one of an $83-million redevelopment.

He says, "The new building is a huge improvement on the existing outdated facilities, and is designed to meet the needs of the community for the next twenty years. It cost $36 million.

"It is user friendly, housing all specialist outpatient clinical services together on the ground floor which is more convenient for both patients and staff.

"Previously these services were spread in several locations on the hospital grounds, leading to many late arrivals and no shows for appointments."  

The building has new surgical and orthopaedic departments on the first floor while intensive care, coronary care and medical wards are on the top floor.

Tony Ryall says, "People needing to stay in hospital will also have a better, more comfortable environment. There are more single-bed rooms than current facilities as well as four bedded rooms.

"The next stage of the redevelopment will see the number of theatres increasing from four to five as well as a 16-space procedure unit for patients having day surgery.  

"The emergency department will also be expanded, more than doubling the number of cubicles available to treat patients from fifteen to thirty-two," says Mr Ryall.

This Government has approved several hospital capital projects, totalling more than $500 million in the last two and a half years, 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
• Whakatane Hospital $65m
• Waikato Hospital rehabilitation hub $40m
• Taranaki Base Hospital redevelopment $80m