Photo: RNZ / Vinay Ranchhod
Hundreds of millions of dollars is to be spent on upgrading 24 hospitals around the country to improve care for both Covid patients and those who don't have the virus.Health Minister Andrew Little says 355 beds are to be upgraded and 30 intensive care or high dependency beds will be added in hospitals from Kaitaia to Invercargill.
The changes involve converting exisiting hospital beds to isolation or negative pressure environments and more intensive care and high dependency beds.
New Zealand has one of the lowest levels of ICU beds per capita in the OECD at 4 per 100,000 population.
Kathryn gets reaction from Dr Rob Bevan, vice president of the College of Intensive Care Medicine, and is an intensive care specialist at Middlemore Hospital and Chair of the College of Critical Care nurses, Tania Mitchell.
