Business Central July 2021

52 | T T to page 54 “It means that operations can be done at the right time and at the right place, so Hawke’s Bay people don’t face long delays or are forced to go outside of the region for much needed surgical care.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Hawke’s Bay - Kaweka Health Facility a boost to Hawke’s Bay health T T Karen Phelps S tage one a new $70 million Hawke’s Bay-owned and operated elective sur- gery facility - Kaweka Health - currently being built in Hastings is progressing well, says Westside Healthcare’s managing director Dr Colin Hutchison. Fit-out is due to commence shortly with an opening date earmarked for May 2022. Stage one will deliver four operating theatres, support areas, including a pre-admission unit, recovery areas and overnight beds, and a sterile services facility. Colin says Stage two is due to break ground in December and this stage will deliver a radi- ology suite, cardiac cath lab, a private cancer service, full ward and 50 outpatient rooms. When completed the project will provide a significant increase to the Hawke’s Bay’s cur - rent operating capacity, delivering 5000-7000 additional operations each year. Located in Canning Road, opposite Hawke’s Bay Hospital, the project is the brainchild of a group of local doctors who identified a barrier to delivering good patient care was a lack of good facilities. Owned by Westside Healthcare, private investment has seen the project commence rapidly. Colin says that the name for the new facility was taken from the Kaweka Ranges, a prominent geological feature of Hawke’s Bay that envelops and protects the region and its people, fitting in well with the vision for the facility, which will improve the health and well-being of the people of Hawke’s Bay. “It means that operations can be done at the right time and at the right place, so Hawke’s Bay people don’t face long delays or are forced to go outside of the region for much needed surgical care. “Our aim is to treat people quicker so that they have the opportunity to return to living a better quality of life and, in many instances, getting back to work.” Designed by HDT architects the building reflects the mountain ranges with angular features and earthy tones.