Letters to the Lakes Weekly
Re: Milestone for Queenstown’s Private Hospital (6 May)
Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital’s 4000 surgeries represent a huge achievement: Timely access to quality healthcare right here in the Central Lakes region.
To be clear, unlike other private healthcare providers who are driven by commercial motivations, Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital has a different model.
We are not-for-profit. We have no shareholders, nor dividend expectations. We reinvest all surpluses into the hospital, our staff and into providing healthcare for this community. We are owned by Central Lakes Trust and Southern Cross Health Trust, both charities.
We welcome discussion about the future of healthcare in the Central Lakes region, but it must distinguish between private healthcare models built for profit to enable returns to shareholders and those, like Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital, which are not.
With 50% of our patients referred from Health New Zealand – Te Whatu Ora and ACC, we are truly supporting the public system while enabling local access to healthcare.
That’s what we were set up to do, and it’s working. Any other capitally funded private provider will have to operate at a cost that local users will undoubtedly have to help pay for.
Mark Taylor
Chair, Southern Cross Central Lakes Hospital
School bus cuts
It seems completely absurd to me, that they would even consider cutting school buses.
Queenstown is experiencing unprecedented growth & traffic congestion.
This will mean so many more cars on the road, and making working parents' days even shorter than they already are in a town where cost of living is arguably at an all time high.
I am completely flummoxed that this is even being considered and would never EVER consider putting my 5 & 8yo on public buses (as they are now).
Our local Arthurs Point primary school bus is overflowing most days with three to a seat.
I’m grateful to Dennis Behan for being the whistle blower on Facebook, he obviously has some inside intel. I don’t believe it’s ’fake news’, it’s pretty clear they are considering cuts.
The outrage is felt strongly across our community
Miira Rose
Hospital funding needed
$240m on the new roundabout / bus shelter
$125m on the bypass road in Queenstown
$45m about to be spent on the Events Centre
That’s a total of $410 million.
How about a donation to the Lakes District Hospital, desperately, desperately in need of funding. There’s a whole wing to the left of the hospital empty, I may be wrong, perhaps it’s underway but I don’t think there’s enough money to do anything with it.
Imagine what even a mere $1 million could do. Could we get another MRI or Xray Machine, could we upgrade those empty rooms for better use, could the already stretched emergency rooms be expanded?
I know it’s perhaps a little more complicated than that - but surely a donation would make a difference and health could come above all else.
Anon
Freedom campers
My late afternoon walk I saw four freedom campers all taking advantage of our beautiful parks and reserves.
Only one parked in an area with toilets!
I understand the cost of living in this area so why doesn't the council provide an area for them to park at night that has facilities like toilets, showers, rubbish bins?
Rather than defecating all over our backyards parks and reserves.
Why do we have to put up with this?
Should we do this in their home countries?
I went into town recently and was shocked at the village in Park St and the Rose garden area.
It was my last area to park and enjoy the walk into town.
Now it's a difficult to even get a park.
I'm sure they aren't paying any fines they incur, so think of a solution.
Buy a piece of land, supply showers, toilets and rubbish bins and charge them to stay overnight.
If they don't pay, they don't stay in town.
They are adults, they need to take responsibility for their actions.
Community service might be a better solution for offenders?
Debbie Andrews
