National Party Invercargill candidate Penny Simmonds has come out strongly in support of the use of private providers as they help reduce surgical wait times for Southlanders
“1776 procedures were carried out by private providers between September 2025 and August 2026, at a cost of $23 million, with Southland’s hospital surgical waitlists dramatically reducing as a result.
“That’s 1776 people who now have a new hip, a new knee, or have had their cataracts removed, and are back out enjoying life - pain free.
“The Government has made no secret of the fact that it is using the private sector to help reduce hospital waitlists, after they ballooned out under the Labour government
“This $23 million investment is helping Southlanders get the surgery that they desperately need - and I’ve had tremendous feedback from local people who’ve been thrilled to finally get their surgery, and who said that the private health care they received was excellent.
“Outsourcing procedures is helping to manage demand and cut waiting lists in our province. It’s helping reduce people’s pain and suffering, and it’s allowing them to get their life and independence back.
“I think that’s a marvellous thing - and I’ve not had one local person complain about getting their surgery done.
“Let’s be honest - managing the current high demand in the South, and ensuring patients have access to safe and timely care, while work is continuing to increase internal capacity, is positive for everyone concerned.
“This $23 million investment comes on top of the other positive health funding in Invercargill in the past year, including the more than doubling of the hours at Invercargill’s urgent doctor service to 59 hours a week, $994,000 for a new Southland Hospital fluoroscopy machine, $820,000 for Southland Hospital's new CT scanner and $460,000 for the new Southern Dialysis Unit at Southland Hospital."