A call for more certainty around maternity hub location

Waitaki MP Jacqui Dean will be keeping a close eye on the Southern District Health Board’s recent announcement that it will be looking at alternative locations for the maternal hub in Wanaka.

“Earlier this month, the DHB said it hoped to deliver an options paper on possible locations for a primary maternity facility for Wanaka and Central Otago by June 30.

“The term ‘hoped to deliver’ raises serious concerns. I think we need more certainty in what has become an increasingly long and drawn-out process in the delivery of adequate maternity services for the region, with delay after delay.

“The fact that the DHB is looking at other locations in Wanaka, even if these have come onto the market following the Covid-19 pandemic, does raise serious questions about the viability of the original location that was proposed at Gordon Road.

“Was a lease ever signed on the original site? Do they intend to deliver the same services or a scaling down of those services?

“These are questions we need answers to, and I will most certainly be keeping an eye on these issues, in the coming weeks.”