$208m expansion for hospital

Middlemore Hospital will be able to demolish the last of its original buildings from the 1940s under a $208 million plan for the next stage of its expansion.

The Government approved the plan yesterday.

"This is a big boost for the South Auckland region," said Health Minister Tony Ryall.

"As well as improving facilities, the Counties Manukau District Health Board tells me this work will create in excess of 1000 jobs in South Auckland, including clinicians, trades people and suppliers of construction materials."

It will add three operating theatres and more than 70 inpatient beds to a hospital that at present has around 820 beds, as well as others provided for mental health patients.

The board's acting chief executive, Ron Pearson, said the last of the mid-1940s buildings, which was at the end of its useful life, would go to make way for a new clinical services block.

The new block would contain 14 theatres (an increase of three), a 40-bed assessment and planning unit (to replace a smaller, temporary one) and an 18-bed high-dependency unit (to replace a six-bed temporary one).

Assessment, treatment and rehabilitation services for the elderly would be reconfigured, adding 33 inpatient beds. The project also involves fitting out the soon-to-be-opened Edmund Hillary block, which will provide a net increase of 31 inpatient beds. Middlemore has added around 170 beds since 2006.

Mr Pearson said construction had been constant at the site since the 1990s and would continue into the future.

"It reflects our huge population growth. We are the fastest-growing area in New Zealand - twice the rate of most other areas."

Construction on the project was expected to start in the first half of next year and would take up to three years.

The new facilities would be opened in stages during that time.

Mr Ryall said the Government had committed new funding of $100 million and the balance would be paid for from the board's own resources.

Board chairman Professor Gregor Coster said the project would "assist and ensure the necessary beds and hospital facilities are in place to meet the increasing demand and high health needs of our population".