First steps are being made by the Ministry of Health towards establishing its new Health Infrastructure Unit to support and oversee the building of new clinical facilities in New Zealand, with two new appointments being announced.
Helene Carbonatto took up the position of acting Group Manager, Capital Investment Management in mid-September. She was previously General Manager, Strategy Planning and Outcomes at Hutt Valley DHB. Karl Wilkinson, Health Sector leader at advisory company, Aurecon, will take up the role of Director of Health Infrastructure within the Health Infrastructure Unit from 21 October.
“I’m very pleased that Karl and Helene are taking up two of the key leadership roles in the Ministry’s new Health Infrastructure Unit,” said Michelle Arrowsmith, Deputy Director General, DHB Performance.
“It’s an exciting time for health infrastructure in New Zealand, and for the Ministry. The Government is investing more into health capital - $1.7 billion in Budget 2019, building on last year’s $750 million in Budget 2018.
"As a result, there will be a number of projects in the pipeline across the country over the next decade. It’s the start of a long term programme to restore New Zealand’s health infrastructure in our health system, particularly in DHBs," said Arrowsmith.
One such project is the new Dunedin Hospital, which will be the largest hospital building project in New Zealand, she said.
“In conjunction with DHBs, we’re developing a National Asset Management Plan to map out the current state of facilities. This will enable the Government to make more informed decisions, and better prioritise remediation work and plans for new facilities."
Budget 2019 provided funding to establish the new Health Infrastructure Unit, which will start with these two key appointments and build as the unit expands over the coming year.
