As the campaign to “Save our Southern Hospital’’ continues, one couple is taking the message to the road.

Dunedin couple Pam Munro and Mike Waddell have been given the use of a former ambulance dubbed “Cliff’’ to travel the South Island - and beyond - to raise awareness of the plight of Dunedin Hospital.

In September Minister of Health Shane Reti and Minister for Infrastructure Chris Bishop announced the cost of the planned Dunedin Hospital redevelopment had ballooned to $3billion and would either need to be reduced, or done in stages.

The couple have been across the South Island - and even made it to Wellington on November 6 - spreading the message.

At the weekend Cliff made the journey to Central Otago and Wanaka stopping in Cromwell, Alexandra and Roxburgh and Lawrence.

Pam, a registered nurse, said the couple wanted the hospital to be “fit for purpose for our southern population’’.

“We’re trying to raise awareness of the fact the southern regional tertiary hospital needs to be built sufficient to serve the 350,000 people for the area it covers, its catchment, and if we have any cutdowns or any reductions beyond what there already is, by the time

its built it will not be fit for purpose,’’ she said.

“Just build it, build it once and build it right.’’

"Cliff'' parked up in Roxburgh on Sunday. PHOTO: SHANNON THOMSON

Mike was critical of the government’s decision to cut the hospital build spend.

“I think the thing that really is disturbing is the current Prime minister came in, before he was elected to prime minister, and promised that they would build, as a government if they got elected, that they would build the hospital as was planned. 

‘’So to now be in the position of saying they’re not going to do that is very very frustrating.

A lot of southern medical professionals had put in years of design input above and beyond their day jobs as requested and to not listen to them was “absolutely appalling’’, he said.

“Their decisions need to be evidence based and you can’t put a fixed number on something and not adjust it for inflation,’’ Pam said.

The pair had found the response to their message to be “really positive’’ with people waving and honking as they went past, stopping to chat, donate and sign a copy of the Buller Declaration - a declaration on the state of the health system which was initiated in

Buller in September.

“This is about actually supporting health for all New Zealander’s,” Mike said.

“One of the messages that we've found out by going now really, almost around the South Island is that every region is saying we do not want to have region to region to compete against or to play one off against the other.’’

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