Source: New Zealand Government
Thousands more scans, day surgeries, and specialist appointments will soon be delivered in Dunedin each year following the official opening of the new outpatient building today, Health Minister Simeon Brown says.
“The New Dunedin Hospital project is a critical investment in modernising healthcare for the people of Dunedin and the wider Otago and Southland regions, and the outpatient building marks the completion of its first stage,” Mr Brown says.
“The $440 million, five-storey, 15,000 square metre facility brings specialist outpatient and diagnostic services together under one roof, including children’s and women’s health, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, respiratory medicine, radiology and imaging, and day surgery.”
The facility will start delivering care to patients in October and will serve around 352,000 people across the Southern region, bringing services together so more of their care can be accessed in one place.
“It has been purpose-built to support modern models of care, greater use of digital technology and more efficient clinical services, improving both the patient experience and the way our staff work.
“Once fully operational, the additional capacity will support around 1,700 more day surgical procedures, 13,300 more medical imaging appointments, and 2,700 more medical day stay appointments every year. That means faster access to specialist appointments, elective treatment, diagnostic imaging, and cancer care for a growing population.”
Key features of the building include:
- Larger, purpose-built day surgery theatres and procedure rooms designed to modern standards, improving patient privacy and safety
- Coordinated clinics, planned centrally and shared across services rather than run independently, making better use of clinical space and staff time
- Co-located radiology and imaging services, including MRI, CT, X-ray, and ultrasound
- Self-service patient check-in, digital wayfinding, and queue management
- Electronic referrals, bookings and prescribing, reducing reliance on paper records
- Shared electronic records through the South Island regional clinical portal, giving clinicians the information they need at the point of care
- A digital network built on more than 150 kilometres of cabling and more than 300 WiFi access points.
Mr Brown says the outpatient building is the first facility in the South Island to deliver digital capability at this scale.
“This is the digital backbone of a modern hospital, and it is already shaping how we build elsewhere. The standards and approach developed here have informed the Nelson and Whangārei redevelopments, reducing duplication and delivering greater consistency across the health system.”
Mr Brown says the project is also delivering for the Southern economy.
“Around 3,000 people have worked on the New Dunedin Hospital over the past three and a half years, across a range of trades. As the inpatient build progresses, the project will continue to support jobs and economic activity regionally and nationally through local supply chains, with benefits felt well beyond Dunedin.
“Every milestone of the New Dunedin Hospital project brings us closer to a modern, fit-for-purpose hospital for the region. With the completion and official opening of the outpatient building, we are delivering the healthcare services the people of Dunedin, Otago, and Southland deserve.”
Original source: https://nz.mil-osi.com/2026/09/01/new-dunedin-hospital-outpatient-building-officially-opens/