Kāpiti residents have presented a petition with 22,000 signatures to Parliament in a bid for a hospital for the region.
Kāpiti local MP Kris Faafoi met with residents, who were campaigning for a hospital, outside parliament on 13 June, 2018. Photo: Supplied/MP Kris Faafoi Office
The petition was given to local MP Kris Faafoi on the steps of Parliament on yesterday afternoon.
Campaign organiser Sue Emivali said residents were being forced to travel long distances for simple presurgery assessments.
"Ninety-year-olds are having to catch a train into Wellington and then a bus into the hospital just to be checked - we don't have any hospital-provided transport here and it all costs," Ms Emivali said.
"The other thing is a lot of families have to take a day off work just to take a family member," she said.
Other residents were having to make the hour-long journey to Wellington for emergencies.
Kāpiti Coast pensioner Lyn Peterson said she supported the petition after she was forced to drive to Wellington with her gravely-ill husband because no ambulances were immediately available.
Kāpiti residents went to parliament to hand in a petition signed by more than 20,000 people in support of a hospital for the region. Photo: Supplied/MP Kris Faafoi Office
Kāpiti Coast District Mayor K Gurunathan said the growing community desperately needed a hospital.
The campaign received strong support from locals with over half of the Kāpiti Coast population signing the petition.
The Capital and Coast District Health Board said in a statement that they have not ruled a hospital out and were looking at options for a mini-hospital that integrated primary and hospital care.
The petition has gone before a select committee.
