The Maniototo Hospital is about to receive another upgrade, six years after its $7M redevelopment back in 2019.

Four new rooms will soon be added onto the rest home - once the building consent is finalised - which will be built by Breen Construction.

Maniototo Health Services Ltd chair Stuart Paterson said the community contributed $126,000 for naming rights on the new rooms, and in 2019 the organisation also received $1M in donations from families and community groups, using the same concept.

Officially opened by Health Minister David Clark, the 2019 redevelopment included 29 new beds, as well as the transformation of existing rest home facilities into a medical centre and community services facility.

The government granted $1M for the project, following a pre-election funding pledge from former Labour leader Andrew Little.

Other contributions included $2M from the Maniototo Community Board, $500,000 from the Otago Community Trust, $250,000 from Lions, and $2.5M in hospital reserves.

Stuart said this would be the first time they have had to borrow a bit of money for the upgrade, as well as further hospital reserves.

Maniototo Health Services provides a 31 bed medical inpatient service including acute, hospital level and rest home care for the elderly, as well as respite and carer support.

Stuart said the service held two contracts with Health NZ - one for rest home care and another for general medical - of which they were funded for four hospital beds.

In recent years the hospital had increased its services to now include palliative care and a visiting surgeon offered regular appointments as well.

Community services include meals on wheels and district nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, x-ray, well child services, orthopaedic, and general medicine clinics.  

Maniototo Health Services chair Stuart Paterson has been on the board since 2010. Photo: File

Stuart was the health services chair from 2010 to 2012, and stepped back as deputy before resuming his role in 2015. He said the next stage of the upgrade was to add on new serviced apartments and retirement units to the hospital.

“We have quite a bit of land to put them on, for people who aren’t quite ready for a rest home.”

The old hospital building was demolished two to three years ago and the heritage building was a bigger job than expected, because of the asbestos removal, he said. The new hospital also had a $200,000 kitchen upgrade a year ago.