Beport on hospital plans

Press, 5 August 1983, Page 5

Beport on hospital plans

North Canterbury Hospital Board planners can now plan what they, are going to say on Government cost-cutting options for the $lOO million stage three redevelopment of Christchurch Hospital. The North Canterbury Hospital Board got its first glimpse yesterday of the recommendations made by a Government-appointed review committee to trim an estimated $lO million from the project’s cost. ~ The

report will not be made public for another two weeks.

Where those savings are planned is the big question.

Eliminating the need for a $900,000 underground tunnel linking the main hospital with the new pathology building to be built across the road is the only publicised recommendation to date. Instead, the committee has suggested swapping land for a small

corner of Hagley Park to make room for a combined oncology-pathology building on the main site. The chairman of the board, Mr T. C. Grigg, would not comment about the report yesterday. He picked up copies of the report for the board while in Wellington on Tuesday.

“I cannot comment whether it is good, bad, or indifferent,” he said. The Minister of Health L Mr Mai-

colm, has placed a twoweek embargo on the report for public release. “We will be looking at it and doing some sums,” Mr Grigg said. The chairman of the board’s works committee, Mr C. F. Whitty, and a few other board representatives would meet early next week to “set off on an agreed course.” The embargo gave the board time to prepare its comments on the report” recommendations.