New $17m Hamilton surgery centre aims to take pressure off hospital

A new $17 million day surgery in Hamilton could take about 100 patients a week out of Waikato Hospital if Health New Zealand accepts an offer to lease it.

“Something needs to be done” to ease pressure on the public system, according to Dr Luk Chin. He’s part of the group behind the Hamilton facility, which also has plans for a health development in Cambridge with a similar goal.

The newly built Hamilton Day Surgery is the first in the country with tech that allows one iPad to control everything in a theatre – from music to the bed, Chin said. And it’s easier to get to than the hospital.

“The problem with the public health system is that they’re a bit like the Titanic. All they’re doing is shifting deck chairs while the ship is sinking,” he said.