Princess Margaret Hospital closing is massive change for south Christchurch – a wide range of services and employment will be lost to the area, most moving east to Burwood Hospital. So what of this cherished landmark’s future in the community?

Community Voice wants to see maximum possible south-city health service retention, especially in elder care. We are lobbying for a new, 24-hour medical facility to be built amongst a renewed PMH complex. But that leaves large redundant hospital buildings scheduled for demolition. We oppose this.

Updated health facilities for seniors were absolutely essential, and the precious heritage value of The Princess Margaret Hospital must also be retained somehow. This stands on gifted public land.

Conversion of the stylish, solid brick tower blocks to affordable apartments, at a time of intense housing need, makes the very greatest sense to us.

We agree, when “Health board boss says Princess Margaret Hospital campaign ‘misleading’ residents“ – this matter should be far above petty politics. The ‘Save PMH’ campaign appears fraudulent, invoking fear then ‘campaigning’ for service retention that is largely happening anyway: stuff.co.nz/national/health/82232610/princess-margaret-hospital-closure-making-life-hard-for-elderly-residents

In fact, “there will be a number of services here for the next couple of years… several specialist mental health services will remain at The Princess Margaret Hospital including the mothers and babies unit, child and youth mental health inpatient services and eating disorder services [and] Older Persons Health Community teams” – cdhb.health.nz/News/Media-Releases/Pages/The-Princess-Margaret-Hospital-here-to-stay-for-a-little-while-yet.aspx

Response article – the Christchurch Star, 21.07.16, p.13:

MEDIA RESPONSE – to Lee Sampson, Cashmere Community Board candidate’s petition to have health services on the TPMH site – attribute to David Meates, Canterbury DHB Chief Executive. 19 July 2016.

The Princess Margaret Hospital sustained significant earthquake related damage in the February 2011 earthquake.

The level of damage was a major reason for the fast tracking of the new Burwood facility and the move of corporate services to new rented accommodation at 32 Oxford Terrace.

The main health facilities in Canterbury service a population of 530,000 and provide tertiary and complex level of services for much of the South Island and parts of the lower North Island.

TPMH was the main site for older persons health, servicing the population of Canterbury and those referred to it from other DHBs. People from Kaikoura Rangiora, Ashburton and in between have been travelling to TPMH formany years.

TPMH has been a site for specialist services. It did not have Emergency or General Practice services and had a very limited outpatient and private x-ray services.

The DHB has been very open and transparent about the future of the TPMH site, which the media has covered on many occasions and the DHB have engaged in meetings with the Community Board.

The Cashmere, and Christchurch South suburbs have a multitude of private General Practice and Community Health providers in the immediate vicinity, offering services from blood testing to pharmacy and physiotherapy.

It is unfortunate TMPH is being used as platform for a Cashmere Board candidate’s election campaign. It is creating unrealistic expectations and is misleading the community about what services are available to them.

ENDS

Note: Where and when have CDHB “meetings with the Community Board” taken place, and what exists about these on the public record? What has been hidden by who?! …