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Elevate Magazine
January 31, 2025

Health Minister Announces New Site for Dunedin Hospital

health minister announces new site for dunedin hospital

Health Minister Simeon Brown has officially confirmed that the new inpatient building for Dunedin Hospital will be constructed on the site of the former Cadbury factory.

“Today I am giving the people of Dunedin certainty that we will build the new Dunedin Hospital that will future-proof the provision of timely, quality healthcare for the people of Dunedin and the surrounding Otago and Southland regions,” Brown said in a statement.

The new Dunedin hospital will feature 351 beds and is designed with the capacity to expand to 404 beds over time. The facility is also expected to provide 20 short-stay surgical beds, 22 theatres (which can be expanded to 24 theatres over time), 41 same-day beds, 58 ED spaces, and 20 imaging units for MRI, CT scan, and X-ray procedures. 4 additional spaces will also be available for further imaging advancements. 

Last year, the new Dunedin Hospital faced a potential cost escalation to $3 billion, which the government said was unaffordable. To advance the project within its budget of $1.88 billion, the government looked into two different options. The options included a reduction in the number of floors or postponing the fit-out of certain areas and a staged development on the old hospital site. 

Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said he was “as happy as can be expected” about the news the inpatient building would go ahead.

Radich described the project as “the biggest thing in terms of business and development for Dunedin.”

“Clearly, we’re not getting all services and facilities up front, but there’s a clear intention to provide them,” he said.