Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa is the biggest winner in the upgrade plan with a 20-bed dedicated pandemic response ward as well as oxygen system upgrades. Photo / Tania Whyte
Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa is the biggest winner in the upgrade plan with a 20-bed dedicated pandemic response ward as well as oxygen system upgrades. Photo / Tania Whyte
The Government plans to spend $1.7 million readying Northland hospitals for an expected influx of Covid-19 patients as restrictions ease and the virus becomes more widespread.
The extra funding will allow the construction of a dedicated 20-bed pandemic response inpatient ward at Bay of Islands Hospital in Kawakawa along with emergency department and oxygen system improvements ($1.009m).
Kaitaia Hospital will get a six-bed pandemic response inpatient ward and an oxygen system upgrade ($340,000) while in Whangārei an administration area will be converted into a 24-bed pandemic overflow ward and air management will be improved in birthing, mental health and renal areas ($362,000).
Health Minister Andrew Little said the upgrades would allow treatment of Covid-19 patients while protecting other patients, visitors and staff from the virus.
However, Whangārei-based National MP Shane Reti, a former GP, said the plan was "too little too late" and in most cases involved converting existing beds into Covid-19 wards.
The creation of a new 20-bed Covid ward at Kawakawa, however, made sense and did not involve sacrificing any existing beds, Reti said.
Little said the projects had been chosen by the Northland District Health Board to strengthen the three hospitals in the age of Covid-19.
"With high vaccination rates and better treatments and prevention methods, we're shifting to better support planned and routine care while also safely caring for Covid-19 patients.''
Treating people with Covid could disrupt other patients because of the precautions required for infection prevention and control. The upgrades aimed to minimise that disruption, Little said.
A timeline was not given but the minister said work would start as soon as possible in 2022.
In total 36 upgrades would be carried out at 24 hospitals at a cost of $100m in capital funding plus $544m operational funding.
An administration area at Whangārei Hospital will be converted into a 24-bed pandemic overflow ward. Photo / Tania Whyte
Reti said the creation of new wards at Kaitaia and Kawakawa was the best part of the announcement.
The Bay of Islands expansion in particular made sense because of the extra risk in tourist areas, and the distance to Whangārei where there were just eight ICU beds.
"But when you look through the other projects they're mostly reshuffles. There's very few new builds so you're robbing Peter to pay Paul."
The plan for Auckland was "too little too late" with the delay part of the reason the city had been in extended lockdown with many hospital procedures cancelled.
The real issue was not ICU beds or ventilators but staff, Reti said.
"Where on earth is the human resource around all of this build? It's always been an ICU nurse story, and I'm seeing nothing here that addresses that."
New Zealand was "really late to the game" and now had to compete with higher-paying countries such as Canada and Australia for ICU nurses.
Little said New Zealand's success in responding to the pandemic meant there had never been more than 11 Covid-19 patients in ICU at any time.
Most of the upgrades were geared at patients with mild to moderate Covid-19.
"The vast majority of people who get Covid won't need to go to hospital, let alone need an ICU bed."
He blamed the previous National government for the need to upgrade facilities, saying it had massively underinvested in health infrastructure including ICUs.
