The government has released a new nationwide report on the condition and clinical fit-for-purpose assessment of the country’s District Health Board (DHB) facilities and buildings.
“The government now has the first ever clear and comprehensive picture of the state of New Zealand’s hospital buildings and other assets to help ensure future investment decisions deliver the best health outcomes for New Zealanders,” said health minister Dr David Clark.
“Although Governments have known for some time that many of these buildings have serious faults including seismic weakness and weathertightness issues, until now no government has ever had a comprehensive picture of the state of this vital infrastructure. This work has been a priority for me. DHB buildings are valued at around $24 billion making this an important investment area to get right.
The report is part of the Ministry of Health’s National Asset Management Programme (NAMP), which is part of a government wide focus to improve capital funding decisions, capital investment plans and asset management.
“I’d like to acknowledge the role DHBs have played in supporting this work and collaborating on the assessments. The report, which focuses on older DHB buildings, provides a good foundation for understanding the pressure points,” said Dr Clark. “It shows site-wide infrastructure is in poorer condition compared to hospital campuses and many acute care facilities and mental health facilities are below modern design standards. These findings are not surprising given the accumulated underinvestment and problems that were ignored by the previous government.”
