‘Excellent progress’ on controversial new hospital

Work on rebuilding the Buller Health Centre to replace Westport's old hospital, is making "excellent progress," the West Coast District Health Board says.

The project, mooted for many years, finally got under way in September 2020 when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern turned the first sod.

She promised a $20 million facility at the time she assumed the leadership in 2017, after the previous National administration downgraded the original 2011 plan from a $30 million facility, to a $12 million 'integrated family health centre'.

The project started to sputter into life at the end of 2019 when the DHB started shifting some services from the old hospital to enable demolition of some buildings. However, it has attracted ongoing controversy, particularly over perceptions in the community and the size of the new facility.

West Coast DHB general manager Philip Wheble said the project was on schedule, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2023.
"Construction of the new Buller Health facility continues to progress well. The roofing iron is currently being installed and the remainder of the framing is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks," Mr Wheble said.

Plumbing and electrical services installation was set to commence in the coming weeks.

"Re-engagement of staff, consumers and other stakeholders with the design team, will likely commence in May."

Chairman Rick Barker said it was good to see the new facility taking shape.

He had recently hosted the Minister of Health for a brief tour while he visited, "to see how we do things on the Coast".

This had also included a viewing of the site of the planned $22m mental health facility in Greymouth.

Mr Barker said planning for the Greymouth unit was on track, with exploratory drilling work under way on the site, alongside Te Nikau Hospital.

The tender process is now being finalised.

Buller Hospital Action group spokesman Paul Scanlon, said the people of Westport had decided to give the new facility the benefit of the doubt, but that did not equate to confidence it was going to meet its needs, "no matter how the DHB paints it".

"The community has had to accept what's been given," Mr Scanlon said.

At the same time the separate Buller Health Trust was moving ahead with plans to provide a community-owned facility with a range of primary services for the town.

In reality, after "immense struggle" by the community, the scope of the DHB's new facility, and therefore what services would be offered, was still "much smaller" than that first mooted 12 years ago.

"My general perception of the community is no, it's not big enough."