New Dunedin clinic increases access to specialist care for patients across southern region

A new private medical clinic in Dunedin will help relieve pressure on the city’s health system by providing specialist care for patients across the region.

Intus Dunedin is a multi-million dollar medical clinic providing specialist endoscopy, general surgery, gastroenterology, gynaecology and fertility services for the people of Dunedin, Southland and Central Otago.

“We're proud to back up the public health system by providing an alternative service that will take some of the pressure off the public system,” says Dr Deborah Wright, General and Colorectal surgeon at Intus. “We’ve made a significant investment to help meet the health care needs of people in our region.”

Across the country, scarce resources and staff shortages in our public health system, combined with COVID-19, have created long waiting lists for surgeries and other medical procedures.

Dunedin Hospital has been particularly hard hit, with a significant staffing crisis and an extremely overloaded hospital – with occupancy exceeding 100% in the last month. Some patients are being referred to Christchurch and other centres for treatment that they can’t access locally.

Intus Gastroenterologist, Dr Kyle Hendry, says he hopes Intus can help people be seen sooner by offering timely, private, specialist care options for patients, some of whom can then relinquish their place on the public waiting list.

“One of our specialities is endoscopy, which is the gold standard for detecting bowel cancer and other serious gut problems,” says Dr Hendry. “Around one in 15 Kiwis will develop bowel cancer and it’s the second-highest cause of cancer death in New Zealand.

“However, many patients whose symptoms aren’t immediately identified as high risk, or who have a family history that doesn’t meet the criteria, can find it difficult to get tested. Those patients will be able to be seen quickly by our specialists at Intus.”

Intus Dunedin has a surgical theatre, endoscopy suite and five consulting rooms. Its clinicians are highly specialised medical experts who work collaboratively to provide each patient with world-class, personalised care. They use the very latest endoscopy technology, including artificial intelligence, to improve detection of pre-cancerous polyps in the colon.

Anthony Ritchie recently had two operations performed by the Intus team and says it’s a big step forward having more health care options in Dunedin.

“My experience with Intus was very positive,” says Ritchie. “I liked how they always provided a very clear plan for what's happening and explained things well. I also think my voice was heard.

“I do believe that at the moment, we need more options for health care, so I think if they can help relieve the pressure on the public health system, that’s great for Dunedin.”
Shirley McCutcheon is a new patient at Intus and says she welcomes the choice that the clinic brings to healthcare in the region.

“I think it's brilliant, it’s what we need,” says McCutcheon. “Intus is really up market, really on the button. It’s beautiful, it’s relaxing and they make you feel very welcome.”

Intus is accepting patients now at 89 Great King Street, Dunedin Central, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 5pm.