Hospital Services to Stay on the Coast - Minister

Health Minister Bill English today gave an assurance that the West Coast would continue to have a regional hospital and called on the community to get involved in discussions about the best long-term health plans for the region.

"I can assure Coasters that they will continue to have a regional hospital. There does seem to be a high level of concern on the Coast at the moment about their health services, but those concerns are not justified.

"There is no doubt that there are special issues to be considered regarding health services on the Coast. Not least is the geography, which makes it very difficult to provide easy access to services. For its part, the Government has accepted that it is always going to be paying more for health services on the Coast.

"While there are no easy solutions, the Government's job is to concentrate on getting sustainable services there.

"I know the staff at Coast Health Care are working hard to develop long-term solutions, but they need the help of the community. Everyone needs to work together on this, not make health a vehicle for simplistic political debate," said Mr English.