Whangārei Hospital unveils two new operating theatres and cardiac catheter lab

Health Minister Andrew Little was joined by Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime (left) and MP for Whangārei Emily Henderson (right) at the opening. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Northlanders will no longer have to travel to Auckland for lifesaving heart procedures like angiograms, angioplasty and the insertion of pacemakers, thanks to two new operating theatres and a cardiac catheter lab opened at Whangārei Hospital.

"This not only reduces the need to travel to Auckland for procedures, it means fewer delays to treatment and more positive health outcomes," said Northland DHB chief executive Dr Nick Chamberlain about the opening.

Health Minister Andrew Little greets Northland DHB chair Harry Burkhardt with a hongi outside Whangārei Hospital. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Health Minister Andrew Little unveiled the new cardiac catheter laboratory and two operating theatres yesterday morning. There was a dawn blessing of the new facilities followed by speeches and a plaque unveiling from Little later in the morning, which was well-attended by health professionals from throughout the region.

Northland District Health Board (DHB) chairman Harry Burkhardt said, "Our challenge has always been to ensure that a patient receives the same standard of care locally as he or she would have received had they lived in a large city."

Whangārei Hospital is Northland DHB's largest and provides secondary specialist care to all of Te Tai Tokerau. The hospital currently has seven operating theatres, which will now increase to nine, along with 246 inpatient beds. There was also much excitement about the opening of the new catheter laboratory and its potential to attract highly-skilled workers to the region.

"Prior to this, we couldn't attract young hotshots. Now we are getting fantastic applicants for all our cardiology roles. We have already recruited two additional New Zealand trained cardiologists," said Chamberlain.

"This new facility will be a quantum change in the way care is delivered to patients and means Northland is now an attractive option for cardiologists with specialist skills."

A catheter laboratory is an examination space in a hospital or clinic with diagnostic imaging equipment used to visualise the arteries and chambers of the heart and treat any stenosis or abnormalities found. The laboratory is expected to treat about 1000 patients a year. Both the lab and new operation theatres are due to be operational by July. The budget for the two projects, plus an endoscopy facility opened last year, was $24 million. The projects were funded out of a $750m investment in health infrastructure in Budget 2018.

Little said, "These new facilities aim to cut patient waiting times, reduce the need for Northland residents to travel to Auckland for treatment, free-up capacity and ensure people can get the care they need, when they need it."

The new facilities are only part of the Government's plan to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Te Tai Tokerau. Other ongoing projects include the Bay of Islands Hospital redevelopment, Kaitaia Hospital remediation, a Linear Accelerator bunker and equipment at Whangārei Hospital to provide radiation treatment for people with cancer, and buses to provide mobile surgical and lithotripsy services.