Dunedin Hospital facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dunedin Hospital |
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| Southern District Health Board | |
Dunedin Hospital from Signal Hill
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| Geography | |
| Location | Dunedin, New Zealand, Otago, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 45°52′10″S 170°30′31″E / 45.8694°S 170.5086°E |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Publicly funded |
| Hospital type | Teaching, Tertiary Referral |
| Affiliated university | University of Otago |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Helipad | (ICAO: NZDH) |
| Beds | 398 (as of 2023) |
| History | |
| Founded | 1851 |
Dunedin Hospital is a very important public hospital in Dunedin, New Zealand. It helps people from a large area, including the Otago and Southland regions. This area covers about 300 kilometres and has around 300,000 people.
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How Dunedin Hospital Works
Dunedin Hospital is the biggest hospital in New Zealand south of Christchurch. It's a "tertiary care" hospital. This means it handles more serious cases that smaller hospitals can't. Patients often come here from places like Clyde, Queenstown, Oamaru, Gore, and Invercargill. It's also the main place for treating serious injuries in the Otago and Southland regions.
The hospital is run by the Southern District Health Board. It's located right in the middle of Dunedin, very close to the University of Otago. It has about 400 beds and around 3,000 staff members who work hard to help patients.
Queen Mary Maternity Centre
Dunedin Hospital has a special part called the Queen Mary Maternity Centre. This is where babies are born and mothers get care. It replaced an older hospital called Queen Mary Hospital, which opened in 1937.
Helipad for Emergencies
The main building at Dunedin Hospital has a special landing pad for helicopters on its roof. This helipad was built around the year 2000. It's very helpful because it means seriously injured or sick patients can be flown directly to the hospital. This saves time and makes sure they get help faster. Only certain types of helicopters, which have two engines for safety, are allowed to land there.
Hospital History
The very first hospital in Dunedin was built in 1851 at The Octagon. It later moved to its current location in 1865. Over the years, new buildings were added and old ones were replaced. A big new central building was finished in 1980.
Keeping Patients Safe
Sometimes, hospitals have to deal with outbreaks of illnesses. In 2007, Dunedin Hospital had to close some parts because of a stomach bug called norovirus. This bug made many patients and staff sick. To keep everyone safe, visitors were stopped for a week, and some medical procedures had to be put on hold.
More recently, in June 2022, the hospital also had to limit visitors because of an outbreak of COVID-19 in its wards. These actions help to stop the spread of sickness and protect everyone in the hospital.
Building a New Hospital
Parts of Dunedin Hospital are quite old. For example, one building from 1965 had some issues like leaks when it rained. Because of these problems, a big project is underway to build a brand new hospital.
In 2018, it was announced that the new hospital would be built on the site of the old Cadbury factory and a nearby block. This is a huge project that will cost a lot of money and involve many workers. The goal is to finish building the new hospital around 2028.
Building a big hospital like this can be tricky. There have been discussions about the costs and how many beds and operating rooms the new hospital will have. People in Dunedin care a lot about their hospital, and there have been talks to make sure the new hospital meets everyone's needs.
In April 2023, the government announced some good news. They put more money into the project to bring back a special scanner and a shared workspace for doctors. This shows that they are listening to feedback and working to make the new hospital the best it can be. Construction of the new hospital has now started!
People Connected to Dunedin Hospital
Many important people have worked at or been connected to Dunedin Hospital over the years. They include:
- Edith Statham (1853–1951) – a nurse who helped care for patients.
- Hardwicke Knight (1911–2008) – he was in charge of medical photography and also a historian.
- Jim Mann (born 1944) – a scientist who studies hormones and glands.
- Edward Hulme (1812–1875) – someone who helped manage the hospital.
