Neurosurgery decision welcomed

News that neurosurgery services will continue to be provided at Dunedin Hospital will be a huge relief to the people of Otago and Southland. Those services were under threat following concerns about its continuing viability as a standalone service. There was a significant push to have the service moved to Christchurch. While clinicians agreed that the South Island should have a single regional service, they disagreed about whether that should be a one-site or a two-site model with two neurosurgeons based in Dunedin. The Director-General of Health convened an expert panel to review the possibilities and today announced that not two but three neurosurgeons will be based in Dunedin providing surgery and academic services as part of a regional service.

I’m not surprised by the decision which is the right one in my view. The process of considering the future of the service was robust and despite attempts by some politicians and activists to politicise the issue this was always going to be a decision made on its clinical merits. That said, the overwhelming public support for the retention of the service as evidenced by the nearly 56,000 signature petition presented to parliament by Eric Roy and me – one of the largest non-referenda petitions ever presented to parliament – left no one in any doubt what the people of the South wanted. Those views have prevailed and the challenge now commences to ensure that a safe, robust and sustainable service under a regional model can be provided.

I'm very proud of the services we provide in the South and this is further evidence that others can see the quality of that service also.