2020 - Te Wāhi Tirohia Oranga Whēkau, new Endoscopy Suite Opened | Construction of Cardiac Cath Lab Started

The hospital redevelopment design was continuing, and eventually building will start on the second and third floors of Te Kotuku with Paediatrics, Special Care Baby Unit and the Laboratory moving there when it is completed in a couple of years or so. A lift well was included as it was recognised that a lift would be necessary when the two next floors of the building were occupied.

The official opening of the endoscopy suite Te Wāhi Tirohia Oranga Whēkau was scheduled to occur on Wednesday, 25 March. However, it was postponed as COVID-19 Alert Level 4 was about to come into force.

Relocation to the new suite was to take five weeks, but with the Surgical Admissions Unit shut down due to COVID-19, we decided to bring urgent endoscopy back online. The staff managed to set up their entire operation over three days. This will also enable bowel screening to be implemented from August 2021.

We also continued to progress the detailed design for a new Whangarei Hospital while the Government finds the money (over half a $Billion). We have support from the Capital Investment Committee and the Ministry of Health, so we aren’t slowing down, but it’d be nice if 2021 comes with an announcement that the funding has been found. Many of you will be involved in its design which is pretty exciting considering it needs to last for the next 50 years.

Construction of the new cardiac catheter laboratory was well underway and will mean fewer avoidable deaths through improved cardiac care for Northlanders. It represents a significant opportunity to increase surgical capacity and improve the equity of outcomes.