Cardiac Decision As Soon As Possible

Cardiac surgical services can proceed at Christchurch Hospital when the Government has made a decision about the preferred tender, Health Minister Bill English and Associate Minister Neil Kirton said today.

The successful tender chosen by the Southern Regional Health Authority provides a publicly funded service at Christchurch Hospital. However, the service is a joint venture with a private provider. For this reason we have asked the RHA to refer its decision to the Government for a decision on whether it meets the criteria outlined in the Coalition Agreement regarding private providers, said the Ministers.

The two criteria outlined in the Coalition Agreement are that it must result in improvements in health outcomes and pose no financial risk to the Crown assessed over a 10 year period.

The over-riding issue here is one of patients' access to services. Heart surgery must be provided in Christchurch as soon as possible. We must be confident, however, that we have a safe and viable service for the people of Christchurch who have waited many years for this service, they said.