Work on rebuilding the Buller Health Centre to replace Westport's old hospital, is making "excellent progress," the West Coast District Health Board says.
A concept drawing of how the Buller Health Centre, which is being rebuilt to replace Westport's old hospital, will look when completed. Photo: Supplied
The project, mooted for many years, finally got underway in September 2020, when Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern turned the first sod.
She promised a $20 million facility when she assumed the leadership in 2017 after the previous National administration downgraded the original 2011 plan from a $30m facility to a $12m 'integrated family health centre'.
The project sputtered into life at the end of 2019 when the DHB started shifting some services from the old hospital to enable demolition of some buildings. However, it has attracted ongoing controversy, particularly over its perception in the community and the size of the new facility.
West Coast DHB general manager Philip Wheble said the project was on schedule, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2023.
"Construction of the new Buller Health facility continues to progress well. The roofing iron is currently being installed and the remainder of the framing is expected to be completed in the next couple of weeks," Wheble said.
Plumbing and electrical services installation was set to commence in the coming weeks.
West Coast DHB chair Rick Barker said it was good to see the new facility taking shape.
He had recently hosted the minister of health for a brief tour while he visited, "to see how we do things on the Coast".
This had also included a viewing of the site of the planned $22m mental health facility in Greymouth.
Barker said planning for the Greymouth unit was on track, with drilling exploratory work under way on the site, alongside Te Nīkau Hospital.
The tender process was now being finalised.
Buller Hospital Action group spokesman Paul Scanlon said the people of Westport had decided to give the new facility the benefit of the doubt, but that did not equate to confidence it was going to meet their needs, "no matter how the DHB paints it".
"The community has had to accept what's been given," Scanlon said.
At the same time, the separate Buller Health Trust was moving ahead with plans to provide a community-owned facility with a range of primary services for the town.
In reality, after "immense struggle" by the community, the scope of the DHB's new facility, and therefore what services would be offered, was still "much smaller" than that first mooted 12 years ago, Scanlon said.
"My general perception of the community is no, it's not big enough."
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