Health Minister Simeon Brown has announced a $59.2 million funding boost to ensure stage two of the Taranaki Base Hospital redevelopment can go ahead.
Brown made the announcement in New Plymouth on Thursday. He said the project had been adversely affected by construction cost inflation.
"The additional funding will address cost pressures that have emerged since 2022, ensuring we can complete Stage Two of the project on schedule and deliver a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital that can meet the region's needs now and into the future," Brown said.
"What we've done is - or Health New Zealand's done - is ensured this is fully funded so that it can be completed to the scope that was designed to be done and give that certainty and confidence to the people of Taranaki."
The project's senior responsible officer Rosemary Clements briefs Health Minister Simeon Brown and New Plymouth MP David MacLeod on the new East Wing. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
The funding would support the completion of a new East Wing - a six storey, 20,000 square metre facility due to open by the end of the year.
Clinical services would begin moving into the building from April 2026.
The new wing would house acute and specialist services, including the Emergency Department, Intensive Care Unit, maternity, neonatal, and radiology services.
"It will increase the number of patient spaces to 151 - an additional 55 to current capacity - and provide a total of 34 laboratory workstations. It has also been designed with future expansion in mind," Brown said.
"The East Wing Building will also include a modern acute assessment unit, a primary birthing unit, an Integrated Operations Centre, a rooftop helipad, and a tūpapaku viewing room - a reflection of a more culturally responsive and patient-focused model of care."
The total budget for the new wing was now more than $460 million.
Construction workers putting the final touches to the new East Wing at Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Brown said the new development would go some way to combating the 'post code lottery' affecting health services delivery in Taranaki.
"I know there's been the story around radiology x-ray wait lists. I'm please to confirm, as of yesterday, that wait list that was 6000 x-rays and radiology reports in March that had been delayed is down to two. That's the wait list in Taranaki reported on by RNZ earlier this year."
APEX represents 1500 medical imaging technologist nation-wide has said it was concerned whether radiology services in would be fully staffed because of existing shortages.
Brown could not make a firm commitment on that.
"That's part of the process Health New Zealand is going through as they work through the budgets, staffing and resources to make sure as this building is commissioned in April next year it's able to provide the services this building is designed to deliver."
Health NZ senior responsible officer for the project, Rosemary Clements, said the funding boost was essential.
"If the money didn't come through, then we would've had to look at things we wouldn't have actually been able to kit out and finish, and that wouldn't have been good for the model of care or patient flow within the hospital," Clements said.
"If we didn't get it, we would've had to have less services, less build, less kit out and that would've meant we'd have to straddle two buildings which would've been really inefficient."
The skylight in the entrance of the new East Wing at Taranaki Base Hospital which features a cultural narrative. Photo: RNZ / Robin Martin
Clements said the new wing would be state of the art as envisaged.
"Down here on the ground floor, is all the radiology including MRI, CT - all things radiology. One floor up, which is the first floor and where the ambulance bay will be, it is the Emergency Department and the AU - acute assessment unit - above that we've got the laboratory, ICU and all things maternity, antenatal, post natal, birthing all of those things."
The bed counts in the ED, AU and ICU would all grow.
Clements said the new East Wing would be fully-integrated with the wards completed in 2013.
"On every floor we go across with bridges, so they are now together it's a flow, for example if you're in ED you look out the window and you can see the theatre, so that's how close it is for acute people to get to theatre."
"I feel really privileged that I was asked to do this. It's a great way at this stage of my career to be able to give back to the community and I'll be as excited as anyone in Taranaki to open it."
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