Hospital overhaul estimate reaches $20b

New national body Health NZ will have plenty of hospital builds to contemplate when it's set up in July. (Image: File)

Fri, 11 Mar 2022

Bringing New Zealand hospitals up to scratch will cost much more than a previous estimate of $14 billion, a new report suggests.According to health minister Andrew Little, recent requests from health boards put the figure as high as $20b.The $14b figure was derived from 2018 capital estimates by district health boards (DHBs) for spending on buildings and infrastructure over the decade.A 2020 report by the health infrastructure unit within the Ministry of Health identified a further $2.3b for IT systems over the same period.However, new costings...

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